Table 2.
Study Characteristics‡ by Allostatic Load Categories * in the REGARDS cohort (N = 29,701).
| Characteristics‡ | High AL (≥3) * (N = 11,280) | Low AL (<3) (N = 18,421) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 66.0 (9.3) | 64.2 (9.4) | <0.001 | |
| Sex (% female) | 6274 (55.6) | 10,088(54.7) | 0.149 | |
| Race (% Black) | 5454 (48.3) | 6770 (36.7) | <0.001 | |
| Region | Stroke Belt | 3980 (35.2) | 6308 (34.2) | 0.009 |
| Stroke Buckle | 2261 (20.0) | 3956 (21.4) | ||
| Non-Belt | 5039 (44.6) | 8157 (44.2) | ||
| Annual Income | ≥USD 75,000 | 1161 (10.3) | 3537 (19.23) | <0.001 |
| USD 35,000 to USD 74,000 | 3040 (26.9) | 5772 (31.3) | ||
| USD 20,000 to USD 34,000 | 3054 (27.1) | 4123 (22.4) | ||
| <USD 20,000 | 2631 (23.3) | 2715 (14.7) | ||
| Refused | 1394 (12.4) | 2274 (12.3) | ||
| Education | College + | 3180 (28.2) | 7165 (38.9) | <0.001 |
| Some college | 3012 (26.7) | 4965 (26.9) | ||
| High school | 3175 (28.1) | 4494 (24.4) | ||
| <High School | 1913 (16.9) | 1797 (9.7) | ||
| Alcohol | None | 7927 (70.3) | 10,902 (59.2) | <0.001 |
| Moderate | 3022 (26.8) | 6673 (36.2) | ||
| Heavy | 331 (2.9) | 846 (4.6) | ||
| Physical activity | None | 4685 (41.5) | 5385 (29.2) | <0.001 |
| 1–3 times/week | 3900 (34.6) | 7079 (38.4) | ||
| ≥4 times/week | 2695 (23.9) | 5957 (32.3) | ||
| Smoking | Never | 4811 (42.6) | 8690 (47.2) | <0.001 |
| Past | 4689 (41.6) | 7226 (39.2) | ||
| Current | 1780 (15.8) | 2505 (13.6) | ||
| Diabetes (% yes) | 3630 (32.2) | 2664 (14.5) | <0.001 | |
| BMI | Normal | 1363 (12.1) | 6150 (33.4) | <0.001 |
| Overweight/obese | 9917 (87.9) | 12,271 (66.6) | ||
| BUN, mg/dL, median (IQR) | 19.0 (14.6–23.0) | 15.0 (12.0–18.0) | <0.001 | |
| Comorbid score, mean (SD) | 2.5 (1.4) | 1.5 (1.3) | <0.001 | |
| Albumin, g/dL, mean (SD) | 4.1 (0.4) | 4.2 (0.3) | <0.001 | |
| CRP, mg/L, median (IQR) | 4.8 (2.5–9.0) | 1.6 (0.8–3.2) | <0.001 | |
| Creatinine, mg/dL, median (IQR) | 0.9 (0.8–1.2) | 0.8 (0.7–1.0) | <0.001 | |
| DBP, mmHg, mean (SD) | 79.5 (11.0) | 74.7 (8.4) | <0.001 | |
| SBP, mmHg, mean (SD) | 135.1 (18.3) | 123.0 (13.7) | <0.001 | |
| HDL, mg/dL, median (IQR) | 44.0 (36.0–56.0) | 52.0 (43.9–64.0) | <0.001 | |
* High AL: ≥3 biomarkers above threshold for individual biomarkers, † Demographic/behavioral variables and diabetes status are self-reported, ‡ p-values are from chi-squared test, t-test, or Kruskal–Wallis test, Bold text p-values are below the selected two-sided alpha of 0.05.