Table 2.
Clinical and metabolic characteristics in the study groups.
| Variable | Men-control | Men-MS | Women-control | Women-MS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of subjects | 133 | 119 | 196 | 54 |
| Age (years) | 48 ± 10 | 49 ± 9 | 47 ± 9 | 50 ± 10* |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26 ± 3 | 30 ± 3* | 25 ± 4 | 30 ± 5* |
| Weight (kg) | 86 ± 12 | 95 ± 11* | 70 ± 13 | 81 ± 14* |
| Height (cm) | 181 ± 6 | 179 ± 5* | 166 ± 6 | 165 ± 5 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 95 ± 9 | 105 ± 8* | 85 ± 12 | 96 ± 12* |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 129 ± 15 | 144 ± 16* | 124 ± 18 | 141 ± 18* |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 74 ± 10 | 84 ± 10* | 72 ± 12 | 80 ± 12* |
| Pulse wave velocity (m/s) | 8.50 ± 1.8# | 9.88 ± 2.0* | 7.87 ± 1.4 | 9.21 ± 1.9* |
| Stroke volume supine (ml) | 99 ± 15 | 97 ± 11 | 81 ± 15 | 77 ± 14 |
| Stroke volume upright (ml) | 76 ± 10 | 78 ± 9 | 56 ± 8 | 59 ± 9 |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never smoked (n/%) | 70/52% | 57/48% | 123/63% | 29/54% |
| Current smoker (n/%) | 21/16% | 14/12% | 24/12% | 6/11% |
| Previous smoker (n/%) | 42/32% | 48/40% | 49/25% | 19/35% |
| Alcohol intake (standard doses/week) | 4 (1–9) | 4 (1–10) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) |
| Creatinine (µmol/l) | 83 ± 12 | 81 ± 11 | 66 ± 9 | 62 ± 9* |
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2) | 95 ± 13 | 95 ± 12 | 95 ± 13 | 98 ± 13 |
| Fasting plasma glucose (mmol/l) | 5.4 ± 0.4 | 5.9 ± 0.4* | 5.2 ± 0.4 | 5.8 ± 0.5* |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 5.1 ± 0.9 | 5.7 ± 1.1* | 5.1 ± 1.0 | 5.7 ± 0.8* |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) | 1.8 (1.1–2.4)* | 0.9 (0.6–1.1) | 1.5 (1.1–2.1)* |
| High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.5 ± 0.3 | 1.2 ± 0.3* | 1.9 ± 0.4 | 1.5 ± 0.4* |
| Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3.1 ± 0.9 | 3.7 ± 0.9* | 2.8 ± 0.9 | 3.5 ± 0.7* |
| Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index | 0.365 ± 0.045 | 0.342 ± 0.040* | 0.373 ± 0.041 | 0.338 ± 0.031* |
| Cornell voltage product in ECG (ms*mm) | 1621 ± 817 | 1772 ± 557 | 1546 ± 516 | 1764 ± 518* |
Values are means ± SD except the values for smoking, which are the number of cases and percentages, and the values for triglycerides and alcohol intake, which are shown as medians (lower and upper quartiles) due to skewed distribution. Men-control, men without MS; Men-MS, men with MS; Women-control, women without MS; Women-MS, women with MS; *p < 0.05 MS vs control group; BMI, body mass index; eGFR, estimated glomerulus filtration rate27; #n = 132 for pulse wave velocity in the Men-control group.