Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of 5,271 MESA participants stratified by the presence or absence of carotid plaque at baseline.
| Factor | All | (−) No plaque | (+)Plaque | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N at baseline | 5271 | 2562 | 2709 | |
| Age, years (SD) | 61.8 (10.1) | 58.6 (9.4) | 64.8 (9.8) | <0.001 |
| Sex, n (% female) | 2789 (53.0) | 1427 (55.8) | 1362 (49.7) | <0.001 |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| White | 2028 (38.5) | 873 (34.1) | 1155 (42.7) | |
| Chinese | 630 (12.0) | 388 (15.2) | 242 (8.9) | |
| Black | 1441 (27.4) | 687 (26.8) | 754 (27.8) | |
| Hispanic | 1168 (22.2) | 611 (23.9) | 557 (20.6) | |
| Smoking, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Never | 2645 (50.4) | 1440 (56.4) | 1205 (44.6) | |
| Former | 1924(36.6) | 828 (32.4) | 1096 (40.6) | |
| Current | 683 (13.0) | 284 (11.1) | 399 (14.8) | |
| SBP (mm Hg), mean (SD) | 126.4 (21.5) | 122.1 (19.7) | 130.6 (22.3) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension medication, n (%) | 1953 (37.1) | 751 (29.3) | 1202 (44.4) | <0.001 |
| Lipid lowering medication, n (%) | 843 (16.0) | 276 (10.8) | 567 (21.0) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 645 (12.2) | 214 (8.4) | 431 (16.0) | <0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL), mean (SD) | 194.1 (35.6) | 191.9 (34.0) | 196.1 (37.0) | <0.001 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL), mean (SD) | 50.8 (14.9) | 50.9 (14.5) | 50.7 (15.2) | NS |
| Lp(a) (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 17.1 (7.4, 40) | 15.7 (7, 35) | 18.4 (7.8, 44.3) | <0.001 |
Individuals with missing covariate data were excluded. Definitions: MESA= Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; SBP=systolic blood pressure; HDL-C=high density lipoprotein-cholesterol; Lp(a)=lipoprotein(a)