Table 3.
Comparisons between patients with and without atherosclerotic plaques
| Variable | Patients with plaques n = 104 | Patients without plaques n = 36 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 67.0 (61.0, 74.0) | 44.5 (35.3, 55.3) | < 0.001 |
| Male, n (%) | 58 (55.8) | 14 (38.9) | 0.081 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 54 (51.9) | 6 (16.7) | < 0.001 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 94 (90.4) | 26 (72.2) | 0.007 |
| Smoker, n (%) | 32 (30.8) | 6 (16.7) | 0.101 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.35 ± 3.72 | 23.31 ± 4.11 | 0.007 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 130 (130, 150) | 137 (130, 150) | 0.896 |
| Pulse pressure (mmHg) | 60 (50, 70) | 50 (45, 60) | 0.036 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 11.8 (27.0, 40.7) | 5.6 (18.3, 38.0) | 0.069 |
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 113 ± 23 | 101 ± 27 | 0.013 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 41 (38, 43) | 40 (37, 43) | 0.517 |
| Phosphate (mmol/L) | 1.37 (1.11, 1.60) | 1.39 (1.19, 1.92) | 0.107 |
| iPTH (pg/mL) | 77.9 (46.0, 172.3) | 114.5 (58.0, 243.8) | 0.037 |
| 25 (OH) vitamin D (ng/ml) | 9.3 (4.6, 13.6) | 7.2 (4.8, 10.4) | 0.134 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (U/L) | 75 (59, 93) | 74 (57, 91) | 0.543 |
| Calcium (mmol/L) | 2.26 (2.13, 2.34) | 2.17 (1.97, 2.33) | 0.144 |
| Uric acid (umol/L) | 418.8 ± 107.3 | 509.7 ± 150.8 | 0.002 |
| Cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.26 ± 0.94 | 4.46 ± 0.99 | 0.265 |
| LDL-C (mmol/L) | 2.51 ± 0.75 | 2.64 ± 0.75 | 0.379 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.07 (0.92, 1.28) | 1.13 (0.89, 1.35) | 0.894 |
| hs-CRP (mg/dl) | 1.80 (0.83, 5.07) | 2.02 (1.20, 3.73) | 0.635 |
| Sclerostin (pmol/L) | 47.66 (32.60, 72.91) | 42.62 (26.20- 55.50) | 0.013 |
| Anti-hypertensive drug, n (%) | 100 (96.2) | 36 (100.0) | 0.233 |
| Statin, n (%) | 73 (70.2) | 13 (36.1) | < 0.001 |
| Calcium-based phosphate binders, n (%) | 20 (19.2) | 8 (22.2) | 0.699 |
| Calcitriol, n (%) | 33 (31.7) | 10 (27.8) | 0.658 |
Normally distributed variables are shown as mean ± standard deviation; non-normally distributed variables are shown as medians (with 25 and 75% interquartile ranges in parentheses)
BMI body mass index, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate, iPTH intact parathyroid hormone, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hs-CRP high-sensitivity C-reactive protein