TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population
| Characteristics | No carotid plaque and normal blood pressure | Hypertension only | Carotid plaque only | Hypertension with carotid plaque | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y) | 50.6 ± 8.7 | 54.6 ± 10.1a | 61.6 ± 11.8ab | 64.6 ± 11.2abc | 57.3 ± 11.9 |
| Male (%) | 979 (44.0) | 795 (61.6)a | 792 (70.2)ab | 1403 (75.3)abc | 3969 (61) |
| Smoking (%) | 595 (26.7) | 472 (36.6)a | 496 (44)ab | 758 (40.7)abc | 2321 (35.7) |
| Drinking (%) | 553 (24.8) | 484 (37.5)a | 367 (32.5)ab | 745 (40.0)ac | 2149 (33.0) |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 69.5 ± 9.7 | 72.5 ± 10.6a | 69.7 ± 10.5b | 72.4 ± 12.3ac | 70.9 ± 10.9 |
| FBG (mmol/L) | 5.34 ± 1.15 | 5.63 ± 1.33a | 5.68 ± 1.69a | 5.96 ± 1.85abc | 5.64 ± 1.53 |
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | 117.2 ± 11.5 | 142.7 ± 15.9a | 121.4 ± 10.7ab | 149.2 ± 17.8abc | 132.2 ± 20.2 |
| Diastolic BP (mm Hg) | 76.7 ± 6.9 | 91.8 ± 9.6a | 76.6 ± 7.2b | 88.4 ± 10.9ab | 83.1 ± 11.0 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.3 ± 3.0 | 26.1 ± 3.4a | 24.1 ± 3.1b | 25.5 ± 3.3abc | 25.0 ± 3.3 |
| TC (mmol/L) | 4.90 ± 0.89 | 5.00 ± 1.01a | 5.24 ± 1.68ab | 5.29 ± 1.92ab | 5.10 ± 1.43 |
| LDL‐C (mmol/L) | 2.58 ± 0.71 | 2.69 ± 0.78a | 2.72 ± 0.78a | 2.78 ± 0.88abc | 2.67 ± 0.79 |
| HDL‐C (mmol/L) | 1.67 ± 0.48 | 1.57 ± 0.41a | 1.61 ± 0.45ab | 1.57 ± 0.45ac | 1.61 ± 0.45 |
| Taking hypoglycemic drug (%) | 44 (2.0) | 63 (4.9)a | 70 (6.2)ab | 172 (9.2)abc | 349 (5.4) |
| Carotid intima‐media thickness | 0.76 ± 0.13 | 0.81 ± 0.15a | 0.91 ± 0.18ab | 0.97 ± 0.19abc | 0.86 ± 0.19 |
| Follow‐up (y) | 5.1 ± 0.4 | 5.0 ± 0.4 | 4.9 ± 0.6 | 4.8 ± 0.8 | 4.9 ± 0.6 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; FBG, fasting blood glucose; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; TC, total cholesterol. a, compared with the first group, P < 0.05; b, compared with second group, P < 0.05; c, compared with the third group, P < 0.05.