Table 2:
Baseline Characteristics of NHS II Participants in 1995 According to CRP Categories
| 1 0<CRP<1 (n= 1376) | 2 1≤CRP<3 (n=725) | 3 3≤CRP<6 (n= 325) | 4 CRP ≥6 (n= 249) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 42.4 (4.4) | 43.5 (4.5) | 45.0 (4.6) | 44.7 (4.4) |
| BMI | 23.0 (3.1) | 26.4 (4.8) | 28.8 (5.7) | 32.4 (8.1) |
| Waist Circumference, ≥80 cm | 186 (13.5) | 204 (28.1) | 140 (43.1) | 107 (43.0) |
| White Race | 1342 (97.5) | 716 (98.8) | 317 (97.5) | 244 (98.0) |
| History of HTN | 89 (6.5) | 90 (12.4) | 63 (19.4) | 64 (25.7) |
| History of DM | 6 (0.4) | 6 (0.8) | 2 (0.6) | 10 (4.0) |
| Post-Menopausal | 141 (10.3) | 131 (18.1) | 89 (27.4) | 67 (26.9) |
| History of Tinnitus | 145 (10.5) | 725 (11.0) | 47 (14.5) | 26 (10.4) |
| Smoking | ||||
| Never | 967 (70.3) | 509 (70.2) | 227 (70.0) | 157 (63.1) |
| Past | 330 (24.0) | 158 (21.8) | 79 (24.3) | 70 (28.1) |
| Current | 77 (5.6) | 58 (8.0) | 19 (5.9) | 22 (8.8) |
| Alcohol, g/d | 4.9 (8.1) | 4.0 (6.8) | 4.4 (9.8) | 4.0 (9.5) |
| Physical Activity, total METs/week | 20.6 (22.0) | 16.8 (19.3) | 16.4 (21.3) | 13.0 (13.8) |
| Folate, mcg/d | 551 (274) | 566 (272) | 579 (271) | 595 (276) |
| Vitamin C, mg/d | 372 (453) | 357 (407) | 376 (404) | 323 (332) |
| β-cryptoxanthin, mcg/d | 147 (88.3) | 145 (93.1) | 159 (122) | 155 (100) |
| β-carotene, mcg/d | 4899 (3960) | 4692 (3557) | 4398 (3728) | 4668 (3126) |
| B12, mcg/d | 8.9 (11.4) | 8.8 (9.9) | 7.7 (4.9) | 8.3 (5.7) |
| Omega-3 fatty acids, g/d | 0.2 (0.1) | 0.2 (0.1) | 0.2 (0.2) | 0.2 (0.1) |
| Potassium, mg/d | 3296 (596) | 3298 (594) | 3256 (590) | 3310(590) |
| Magnesium, mg/d | 333 (78.6) | 328 (69.1) | 318 (71.1) | 334 (70.9) |
| Aspirin, >3 d/week | 75 (5.5) | 54 (7.5) | 28 (8.6) | 31 (12.5) |
| Acetaminophen, >3 d/week | 27 (2.0) | 12 (1.7) | 12 (3.7) | 13 (5.2) |
| NSAIDs, >3 d/week | 103 (7.5) | 56 (7.7) | 40 (12.3) | 42 (16.9) |
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