Table 1:
Baseline Characteristics of NHS I Participants in 1990 According to CRP Categories
| 1 0<CRP<1 (n= 2321) | 2 1≤CRP<3 (n=1454) | 3 3≤CRP<6 (n= 714) | 4 CRP≥6 (n= 727) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 54.6 (6.7) | 56.4 (6.5) | 56.4 (6.1) | 55.7 (6.4) |
| BMI | 24.6 (4.5) | 25.4 (3.9) | 27.1 (5.0) | 28.3 (5.9) |
| Waist Circumference, ≥80 cm | 478 (20.6) | 445 (30.6) | 269 (37.7) | 278 (38.2) |
| White Race | 2196 (94.6) | 1400 (96.3) | 689 (96.5) | 682 (93.8) |
| History of HTN | 515 (22.2) | 393 (27.0) | 233 (32.6) | 274 (37.7) |
| History of DM | 55 (2.4) | 81 (5.6) | 40 (5.6) | 76 (10.5) |
| Post-Menopausal | 1703 (73.4) | 1216 (83.6) | 612 (85.7) | 622 (85.6) |
| History of Tinnitus | 442 (19.0) | 279 (19.2) | 128 (17.9) | 149 (20.5) |
| Smoking | ||||
| Never | 1112 (47.9) | 656 (45.1) | 312 (43.7) | 360 (49.5) |
| Past | 975 (42.0) | 636 (43.7) | 311 (43.6) | 285 (39.2) |
| Current | 230 (9.9) | 160 (11.0) | 89 (12.5) | 80 (11.0) |
| Alcohol, g/d | 5.3 (8.9) | 5.5 (9.5) | 5.1 (9.4) | 4.3 (8.7) |
| Physical Activity, total METs/week | 17.3 (26.9) | 16.4 (24.2) | 15.6 (18.0) | 13.8 (16.9) |
| Folate, mcg/d | 427 (215) | 434 (218) | 434 (233) | 424 (223) |
| Vitamin C, mg/d | 289 (320) | 304 (340) | 318 (351) | 275 (305) |
| β-cryptoxanthin, mcg/d | 171 (104) | 177 (108) | 167 (97.9) | 171 (105) |
| β-carotene, mcg/d | 4306 (2529) | 4437 (2615) | 4376 (2556) | 4350 (2374) |
| B12, mcg/d | 9.2 (10.5) | 9.5 (13.1) | 9.7 (13.6) | 9.6 (9.7) |
| Omega-3 fatty acids, g/d | 0.3 (0.3) | 0.3 (0.3) | 0.3 (0.2) | 0.3 (0.2) |
| Potassium, mg/d | 2883 (504) | 2896 (488) | 2904 (594) | 2858 (514) |
| Magnesium, mg/d | 309 (80.3) | 310 (73.4) | 310 (100) | 305 (78.3) |
| Aspirin, >3 d/week | 283 (12.2) | 239 (16.4) | 105 (14.7) | 131 (18.0) |
| Acetaminophen, >3 d/week | 83 (3.6) | 68 (4.7) | 44 (6.2) | 55 (7.6) |
| NSAIDs, >3 d/week | 197 (8.5) | 165 (11.4) | 104 (14.6) | 92 (12.7) |
Note: Values represent baseline characteristics in first time period. Values are mean (SD) for continuous variables or n (%) for categorical variables.
Abbreviations: NHS= Nurses’ Health Study; CRP= C-reactive protein; yrs= years; BMI= body mass index; HTN= hypertension; DM= diabetes mellitus; g= grams; mg=milligrams; d= day; METs= metabolic equivalents; mcg= micrograms; NSAIDs= non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Units for CRP = mg/L