Table 3.
Overall Characteristics of the Sample at Baseline Stratified According to the Presence of Alexithymia
| Variables | No Alexithymia N = 416 (64%) | Alexithymia N = 234 (36%) | P a |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic Characteristics | |||
| Male gender, % | 75.7 | 75.2 | .8 |
| Mean age in years (SD) | 45.3 (9.87) | 47.8 (10) | .003 |
| Married, % | 33.3 | 34.9 | .6 |
| Low educational attainment (<13 years) | 37 | 50.3 | .003 |
| Stable employed, % | 72.2 | 53.1 | <.001 |
| Race/Ethnicity | .5 | ||
| White, % | 98.5 | 99.1 | |
| Black, %b | -- | -- | |
| Hispanic or Latino, % | 1.5 | 0.9 | |
| HIV Transmission Risk Factor | .027 | ||
| IDU, % | 22.9 | 30.9 | |
| MSM, % | 36.7 | 27.8 | |
| Heterosexual, % | 40.4 | 41.3 | |
| Lifestyle Factors | |||
| Smoke, % | 42.1 | 58.8 | <.001 |
| Alcohol abuse, % | 7.7 | 17 | <.001 |
| Regular physical activity, % | 37.5 | 20.2 | <.001 |
| Cardiovascular Risk Factors | |||
| Mean BMI (SD) | 23.9 (3.98) | 24.5 (4.02) | .09 |
| Mean total cholesterol, mg/dL (SD) | 195 (48.25) | 186 (50.38) | .036 |
| Mean HDL cholesterol, mg/dL (SD) | 44.9 (14.3) | 42.1 (12.55) | .017 |
| Mean LDL cholesterol, mg/dL (SD) | 119.2 (37.26) | 115.5 (40.55) | .2 |
| Hypertension, % | 21.9 | 24.4 | .4 |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dL (SD) | 87.9 (19.82) | 92.4 (23.87) | .013 |
| Diabetes, % | 6.7 | 13.9 | .003 |
| Mean carotid intima-media thickness in centimeters (SD) | .071 (.053) | .080 (.042) | .045 |
| Carotid atherosclerotic plaques, % | 20 | 55.6 | <.001 |
| Previous vascular events, % | 2.4 | 2.5 | .8 |
| Positive CVD family historyΨ, % | 51.8 | 37.2 | .004 |
| FRS 10-year general CVD risk, mean% (SD) | 8.3 (9.37) | 9.7 (8.74) | .09 |
| FRS 10-year general CVD risk stratification | .021 | ||
| FRS% of risk >20, % | 11 | 12.9 | |
| FRS% of risk 20–10, % | 18.7 | 27.6 | |
| FRS% of risk <10, % | 70.3 | 59.5 | |
| HIV-Related Variables | |||
| AIDS diagnosis, % | 33.3 | 33 | .4 |
| Nadir LyCD4, cell/mm3 (SD) | 247.5 (180.77) | 236.7 (197.66) | .4 |
| Baseline LyCD4 cell count <200 cells/mm3, % | 7.4 | 13.3 | .015 |
| Baseline LyCD4, cell/mm3 (SD) | 670.4 (364.56) | 592 (359.43) | .009 |
| Baseline HIV-RNA copies/mL (SD) | 11 779.4 (70 883.35) | 18 210.6 (92 237.13) | .3 |
| HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL, % | 79.5 | 73.2 | .07 |
| Mean duration of HIV infection in years (SD) | 12.8 (8.05) | 13.6 (8.24) | .2 |
| Treated with HAART, % | 91.8 | 89.3 | .3 |
| Mean duration of HAART in months (SD) | 103.8 (83.8) | 106.4 (87.3) | .7 |
| Lipodystrophy, % | 22.4 | 32.5 | .005 |
| Suboptimal adherence to HAART, % | 4.5 | 12.4 | .001 |
| Other Treatment | |||
| Antihypertensive medication, % | 18.7 | 20.5 | .5 |
| Antiplatelet/anticoagulant medication, % | 5 | 7 | .2 |
| Psychiatric medication, % | 12.2 | 22.4 | .001 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| HCV coinfection, % | 22.9 | 29.9 | .049 |
| Neoplastic disease, % | 11 | 11.7 | .7 |
| Psychological Factors | |||
| Depressive symptoms, % | 10.4 | 44 | <.001 |
| Distress personality (Type D),% Ψ | 29.3 | 55.5 | <.001 |
Abbreviations: AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Alexithymia, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) >50; BMI, body mass index; CVD, cardiovascular disease; FRS, Framingham risk score; HAART, highly active antiretroviral therapy; HCV, high-density lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IDU, injection drug user; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; LyCD4, CD4 lymphocyte; MSM, men who have sex with men; RNA, ribonucleic acid; SD, standard deviation.
aχ 2 test for categorical variables; t test and Kruskal-Wallis test for normally distributed and nonnormally distributed continuous variables, respectively. All P values refer to the comparison between the subjects with and those without alexithymia.
bTen HIV-positive South African patients did not compile the Toronto Alexithymia Scale due to difficulties in understanding the Italian language.