Table 1.
Baseline patients' characteristics stratified by tertiles of serum beta2 microglobulin
| Parameters at referral | Lowest tertile (n = 104) | Middle tertile (n = 104) | Highest tertile (n = 104) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year) | 70 (58–82) | 72 (62.5–82) | 71 (56.5–84) | 0.310 |
| Male (%) | 75 (72.8) | 65 (62.5) | 53 (50.5) | 0.004a |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.5 (22.4‐29.0) | 26.1 (22.5‐29.5) | 25.6 (22.5‐28.6) | 0.226 |
| Length of follow‐up (m) | 42 (25–58) | 39.5 (24–54) | 33.2 (13.5–51) | 0.001a |
| eGFR, MDRD4 (ml/min/1.73 m2) | 43.5 ± 5.8 | 27.6 ± 5.1 | 14.0 ± 5.5 | <0.001a |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.8 ± 2.2 | 11.2 ± 1.8 | 9.9 ± 1.8 | <0.001a |
| WBC count (×103/μL) | 6.9 ± 2.5 | 6.9 ± 2.5 | 6.8 ± 2.9 | 0.937 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 26.4 ± 11.6 | 38.3 ± 15.1 | 57.2 ± 26.0 | <0.001a |
| Creatinine (mg/dL)+ | 1.6 (1.3–1.8) | 2.3 (1.9–2.7) | 4.7 (2.3–6.1) | <0.001a |
| Albumin (BCG) (g/dL) | 4.2 (3.9–4.5) | 4.2 (3.8–4.5) | 4.1 (3.6–4.4) | 0.018a |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 139.3 ± 2.5 | 138.6 ± 2.6 | 136.0 ± 16.5 | 0.364 |
| Potassium (mEq/L) | 4.4 ± 0.6 | 4.5 ± 0.6 | 4.5 ± 0.8 | 0.190 |
| Calcium (mg/dL) | 9.3 ± 0.5 | 9.2 ± 0.5 | 8.9 ± 0.7 | <0.001a |
| Phosphate (mg/dL) | 3.8 ± 0.7 | 3.9 ± 0.6 | 4.7 ± 1.2 | <0.001a |
| Uric acid (mg/dL) | 8.0 (6.6–9.2) | 8.4 (7.1–9.7) | 8.4 (6.9–9.9) | 0.103 |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 199.9 ± 46.0 | 195.5 ± 48.8 | 188.4 ± 46.4 | 0.206 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 157.3 ± 131.5 | 173.8 ± 110.9 | 154.4 ± 97.4 | 0.422 |
| LDL‐C (mg/dL) | 113.7 ± 17.7 | 111.6 ± 19.5 | 107.57 ± 19.8 | 0.059 |
| B2M (mg/dL) | 3.8 (2.7–3.9) | 4.7 (4.2–5.3) | 7.7 (5.2–10.3) | <0.001a |
| C‐reactive protein (mg/dL) | 0.51 (0.20–0.70) | 0.54 (0.37–0.71) | 0.50 (0.31–0.71) | 0.226 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.5 (5.2–7.8) | 6.6 (5.0–8.2) | 6.5 (5.0–7.8) | 0.361 |
| Underlying disease | ||||
| DM | 48 | 52 | 40 | 0.204 |
| Hypertension | 53 | 67 | 51 | 0.050 |
| Outcomes during cohort time | ||||
| Coronary artery disease | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0.022a |
| Cerebrovascular accident | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.170 |
| Congestive heart failure, NYHA III or IV | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0.873 |
| Mortality | 5 | 9 | 15 | 0.056 |
| Commencing dialysis | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.371 |
| MIA syndrome | 3 | 5 | 14 | 0.006a |
BMI, body mass index; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; MDRD4, equation of Modification Diet Renal Disease, 4 parameters; BUN, blood urine nitrogen; WBC, white blood cell; LDL‐C, low density lipoprotein‐cholesterol; B2M, beta2 microglobulin; HbA1c, glycosylated hemoglobin; DM, diabetes mellitus; MIA, malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis.
a
P < 0.05, Data were percentage, mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range (IQR)).