Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics at Baseline, 12, and 18 Months
| Mean (Standard Deviation) unless otherwise noted | Baseline | 12 Months | 18 Months | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placebo (n=44) | Simvastatin (n=44) | Placebo (n=44) | Simvastatin (n=44) | Placebo (n=41) | Simvastatin (n=42) | |
| Age, y | 54.4 (7.7) | 56.0 (6.2) | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ |
| Female sex, n (%) | 32 (73%) | 31 (70%) | 32 (73%) | 31 (70%) | 31 (76%) | 29 (69%) |
| White, n (%) | 43 (98%) | 44 (100%) | 43 (98%) | 44 (100%) | 40 (97%) | 42 (100%) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 27.6 (5.6) | 27.2 (5.6) | 28.0 (5.7) | 27.2 (5.7) | 28.7 (7.2) | 27.3 (5.7) |
| Heart rate, bpm | 59.6 (9.0) | 60.6 (9.2) | 58.9 (7.9) | 60.6 (10.2) | 59.6 (9.0) | 59.8 (9.5) |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 206.6 (34.2) | 207.2 (35.7) | 202.1 (31.8)a | 146.1 (27.1)a | 196.8 (34.2)a | 153.2 (28.0)a |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 101.8 (40.1) | 112.4 (57.6) | 99.9 (42.8) | 91.9 (46.5) | 109.1 (80.5) | 88.0 (44.8) |
| High‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, mg/dL | 63.5 (17.2) | 62.5 (20.8) | 65.5 (18.3) | 64.8 (20.5) | 63.0 (21.4) | 66.4 (20.1) |
| Low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, mg/dL | 122.8 (28.1) | 122.3 (28.4) | 116.5 (28.2)a | 62.9 (18.8)a | 114.2 (28.0)a | 69.2 (20.1)a |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 123.7 (16.9) | 125.1 (15.7) | 124.7 (13.3) | 122.6 (14.5) | 122.2 (21.8) | 123.2 (15.0) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 72.7 (10.8) | 72.3 (9.9) | 75.1 (11.3) | 71.0 (9.6) | 75.0 (11.8) | 72.1 (9.2) |
| High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, mg/L | 1.9 (2.2) | 1.8 (2.2) | 2.0 (2.2) | 1.8 (2.4) | 2.1 (2.3) | 1.4 (2.6) |
| Antihypertensive medication use, n (%) | 1 (2%) | 3 (7%) | 1 (2%) | 3 (7%) | 1 (2%) | 2 (5%) |
| Average brachial artery diameter, cm | 0.38 (0.06) | 0.38 (0.07) | 0.38 (0.06) | 0.39 (0.07) | 0.38 (0.06) | 0.39 (0.07) |
| Maximum absolute flow‐mediated dilation, cm | 0.017 (0.01) | 0.016 (0.01) | 0.018 (0.01) | 0.017 (0.01) | 0.017 (0.01) | 0.016 (0.01) |
| Maximum relative flow‐mediated dilation, % | 4.45 (2.54) | 4.35 (2.94) | 4.18 (2.72) | 4.63 (2.59) | 4.64 (2.56) | 4.24 (2.15) |
| Augmentation index, %b | 23.1 (11.4) | 23.4 (9.0) | 24.9 (10.9)a | 20.6 (9.4)a | 24.1 (11.3) | 21.8 (9.3) |
| Aortic systolic pressure, mm Hg | 118.3 (12.7) | 116.8 (14.2) | 118.2 (15.0) | 113.6 (10.3) | 117.9 (5.3) | 114.6 (10.6) |
| Aortic diastolic pressure, mm Hg | 74.3 (7.7) | 74.5 (10.2) | 74.4 (7.2) | 72.8 (7.2) | 74.6 (9.7) | 73.0 (7.4) |
a
P<0.01 between placebo and simvastatin at each time point.
b
At 18 months there were 40 patients with measures of Augmentation Index; of the 3 subjects missing AIx measurements, 2 were due to very low heart rates, and the third was in bigeminy at the time of the study.