Table 1.
Baseline (Visit 1) Characteristics of the Study Population by the Presence of Carotid Plaques at Visit 4
| Patients’ Characteristics at Visit 1 | No Plaque | Plaque at Visit 4 | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| N. total=997 | 794 | 203 | |
| Age, y | 41.7±4.7 | 42.7±5.4 | 0.009 |
| Male sex | 387 (48.7%) | 122 (60.1%) | 0.004 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 24.3±3.7 | 24.7±3.8 | 0.22 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 80.6±11.1 | 83.6±11.7 | <0.001 |
| Smoking | 140 (18.4%) | 58 (28.6%) | 0.002 |
| SBP, mm Hg | 122.1±11.8 | 124.4±13.6 | 0.015 |
| DBP, mm Hg | 74.4±9.8 | 75.6±10.3 | 0.11 |
| Heart rate, bpm | 66.3±10.3) | 64.7±10.1 | 0.056 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 (2.8%) | 12 (5.9%) | 0.028 |
| Glucose, g/L | 0.9±0.1 | 0.9±0.1 | 0.13 |
| Hypertension history | 69 (9.1%) | 25 (12.4%) | 0.16 |
| Total cholesterol, g/L | 2.2±0.4 | 2.3±0.4 | 0.010 |
| HDL cholesterol, g/L | 0.6±0.2 | 0.5±0.2 | 0.045 |
| LDL cholesterol, g/L | 1.5±0.3 | 1.6±0.4 | 0.001 |
| Triglycerides, g/L | 0.9±0.6 | 1.1±1.5 | 0.011 |
| Lipid‐lowering therapy | 13 (5.3%) | 3 (4.5%) | 0.79 |
| eGFR, mL/min per 1.73 m2 | 90.2±12.3 | 90.4±14.1 | 0.84 |
| PCSK9 (NPX) | 2.7±0.4 | 2.8±0.4 | <0.001 |
| LDL receptor (NPX) | 5.2±0.6 | 5.3±0.6 | 0.012 |
Median time between visit 1 and visit 4 , 18.5 years. BMI indicates body mass index; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate calculated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula; LDL, low‐density lipoprotein; NPX, Olink log2 normalized protein expression; PCSK9, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9; SBP, systolic blood pressure.