Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study subjects according to age-specific type of plaques.
| Variables | Age < 60 | Age ≥ 60 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR (n = 161) | CP (n = 159) | NCP/MP (n = 207) | P | CR (n = 38) | CP (n = 229) | NCP/MP (n = 157) | P | |
| Age (years) | 49.1 ± 7.1 | 53.2 ± 5.3 | 50.0 ± 5.8a | <0.001 | 64.0 ± 3.8 | 68.9 ± 6.0 | 68.0 ± 6.1 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.1 ± 3.5 | 26.2 ± 3.9 | 26.1 ± 3.8 | 0.009 | 23.8 ± 2.9 | 25.2 ± 3.4 | 25.0 ± 3.7b | 0.070 |
| Male, n (%) | 78 (48.4%) | 110 (69.2%) | 154 (74.4%) | <0.001 | 11 (28.9%) | 94 (41.0%) | 89 (56.7%) | 0.001 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 74 (46.0%) | 113 (71.1%) | 140 (67.6%) | <0.001 | 18 (47.4%) | 185 (80.8%) | 116 (73.9%) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 15 (9.3%) | 34 (21.4%) | 53 (25.6%) | <0.001 | 6 (15.8%) | 62 (27.1%) | 54 (34.4%) | 0.053 |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 61 (37.9%) | 120 (75.5%) | 166 (80.2%) | <0.001 | 16 (42.1%) | 180 (78.6%) | 133 (84.7%) | <0.001 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 37 (23.0%) | 62 (39.0%) | 88 (42.5%) | <0.001 | 2 (5.3%) | 33 (14.4%) | 38 (24.2%)c | 0.005 |
| Alcohol consumption, n (%) | 41 (25.5%) | 67 (42.1%) | 93 (44.9%) | <0.001 | 0 (0.0%) | 32 (14.0%) | 26 (16.6%) | 0.028 |
| History of CAD, n (%) | 24 (14.9%) | 23 (14.5%) | 28 (13.5%) | 0.927 | 3 (7.9%) | 16 (7.0%) | 13 (8.3%) | 0.891 |
| Biochemical parameters | ||||||||
| TC (mmol/L) | 4.94 ± 0.95 | 4.59 ± 1.09 | 4.62 ± 1.14 | 0.005 | 4.63 ± 1.36 | 4.45 ± 1.52 | 4.52 ± 1.31 | 0.729 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 1.46 (1.05, 2.14) | 1.66 (1.13, 2.29) | 1.62 (1.21, 2.41) | 0.118 | 1.43 (0.95, 1.87) | 1.39 (1.03, 1.83) | 1.41 (1.05, 2.13) | 0.380 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.23 ± 0.37 | 1.13 ± 0.35 | 1.09 ± 0.28 | <0.001 | 1.33 ± 0.34 | 1.22 ± 0.35 | 1.13 ± 0.30 | 0.001 |
| LDL-C (mmol/L) | 3.12 ± 0.85 | 2.82 ± 0.92 | 2.88 ± 0.93 | 0.008 | 2.87 ± 0.97 | 2.2.61 ± 0.93 | 2.70 ± 0.93 | 0.250 |
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 1.51 (0.73, 2.72) | 1.68 (0.77, 3.40) | 1.82 (0.81, 3.34) | 0.279 | 1.84 (1.10, 2.71) | 1.62 (0.93, 3.11) | 2.26 (1.26, 4.63)b | 0.003 |
| Medications, n (%) | ||||||||
| Statins | 52 (32.3%) | 100 (62.9%) | 150 (72.5%) | <0.001 | 11 (28.9%) | 161 (70.3%) | 117 (74.5%) | <0.001 |
| Aspirin | 60 (37.3%) | 105 (66.0%) | 145 (70.0%) | <0.001 | 13 (34.2%) | 172 (75.1%) | 124 (79.0%) | <0.001 |
| Calcium antagonists | 20 (12.4%) | 55 (34.6%) | 61 (29.5%) | <0.001 | 9 (23.7%) | 102 (44.5%) | 56 (35.7%) | 0.025 |
| ARB/ACEI | 26 (16.1%) | 58 (36.5%) | 86 (41.5%) | <0.001 | 2 (5.3%) | 102 (44.5%) | 70 (44.6%) | <0.001 |
| Beta-blockers | 44 (27.3%) | 75 (47.2%) | 93 (44.9%) | <0.001 | 10 (26.3%) | 131 (57.2%) | 88 (56.1%) | 0.002 |
Abbreviations: CR—control; CP—calcified plaque; NCP—noncalcified plaque; MP—mixed plaque; BMI—body mass index; CAD—coronary artery disease; TC—total cholesterol; TG—triglycerides; HDL-C—high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C—low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; hsCRP—high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; ARB—angiotensin II receptor blockers; ACEI—angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. aP < 0.01 for NCP/MP vs. CP in subjects with age < 60 years. bP < 0.01 for NCP/MP vs. CP in subjects with age ≥ 60 years. cP < 0.05 for NCP/MP vs. CP in subjects with age ≥ 60 years.