Table 5.
Characteristics, Plaque Composition, and CAC Score Stratified by MET Group for Those Exercising at Moderate Intensity
| MET Exercise Group | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 to 8.1 METs (n=33) | ≥8.2 METs (n=56) | P Valuea | |
| Min exercise/wk, mean (SD) | 260 (236) | 294 (215) | 0.48 |
| Min exercise/wk, median [IQR] | 180 [90, 315] | 240 [140, 365] | 0.12 |
| Demographic characteristics | |||
| Age, mean±SD, y | 64.5 (6.6) | 63.7 (7.1) | 0.62 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 25 (71.4) | 50 (86.2) | 0.081 |
| Inclusion criteria (may have >1), n (%) | |||
| History of myocardial infarction | 17 (48.6) | 32 (65.3) | 0.57 |
| History of percutaneous coronary intervention | 22 (62.9) | 36 (62.1) | 0.74 |
| History of coronary bypass grafting | 9 (25.7) | 13 (22.4) | 0.70 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors, n (%) | |||
| History of hypertension | 26 (74.3) | 25 (82.8) | 0.33 |
| History of diabetes mellitus | 13 (37.1) | 15 (25.9) | 0.25 |
| Anthropometric and blood pressure, mean±SD | |||
| Weight, kg | 93.3 (18.6) | 86.3 (12.5) | 0.057 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 31.9 (4.6) | 29.0 (2.7) | 0.001 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 110.3 (12.7) | 103.2 (8.1) | 0.004 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 125.6 (16.4) | 123.2 (17.4) | 0.51 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 70.8 (8.8) | 73.3 (10.2) | 0.22 |
| Biochemical profile, mean±SD | |||
| Glucose | 111.3 (37.6) | 110.6 (44.2) | 0.94 |
| Hemoglobin A1c, % | 6.4 (0.92) | 6.2 (1.2) | 0.38 |
| Albumin creatinine ratio, median [IQR] | 6.3 [4.3, 26.5] | 3.9 [2.8, 7.6] | 0.016 |
| Lipids, mean±SD, mg/dLb | |||
| Total cholesterol | 159.2 (34.9) | 144.2 (27.4) | 0.024 |
| Triglyceride, median [IQR] | 141.0 [79.0187.0] | 109.0 [74.5147.0] | 0.010 |
| High‐density lipoprotein‐C | 48.9 (19.9) | 46.7 (11.9) | 0.51 |
| Low‐density lipoprotein‐C | 77.6 (27.7) | 73.4 (19.1) | 0.40 |
| Complete blood count, mean±SD | |||
| WBC, 109 cells/L | 7.0 (1.9) | 6.7 (1.9) | 0.36 |
| Monocytes, cells/μL | 518.4 (135.1) | 525.2 (140.4) | 0.82 |
| Neutrophils, cells/μL | 4528.4 (1627.5) | 4412.2 (1708.4) | 0.75 |
| Lymphocytes, cells/μL | 1766.3 (808.2) | 1513.1 (505.9) | 0.066 |
| Platelets, cells/μL | 201.5 (62.5) | 185.4 (41.4) | 0.19 |
| Plaque subtypes, median [IQR]c | |||
| Fatty plaque | 5.4 [3.2, 12.2] | 8.6 [5.5, 13.8] | 0.13 |
| Fibrous plaque | 11.7 [5.3, 19.5] | 16.8 [9.7, 23.7] | 0.065 |
| Noncalcified plaque | 15.5 [8.5, 32.0] | 26.1 [15.3, 36.9] | 0.087 |
| Total plaque | 19.9 [8.8, 39.7] | 29.5 [18.7, 44.9] | 0.093 |
| CACd | 575.0 [222.8, 1408.3] | 370.7 [132.5, 826.9] | 0.070 |
| Medications, n (%) | |||
| Statin | 35 (100.0) | 56 (96.6) | 0.45 |
| Aspirin | 35 (100.0) | 53 (91.4) | 0.074 |
| Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor | 18 (51.4) | 35 (60.3) | 0.45 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 6 (17.1) | 8 (13.8) | 0.27 |
| Thiazide diuretic | 7 (20.0) | 9 (15.5) | 0.58 |
| Furosemide | 4 (11.4) | 3 (5.2) | 0.27 |
| Calcium‐channel blocker | 12 (34.3) | 12 (20.7) | 0.43 |
| Beta‐blocker | 25 (71.4) | 45 (77.6) | 0.89 |
CAC indicates coronary artery calcium score; IQR, interquartile range; MET, metabolic equivalent of task; and WBC, white blood cells.
a
P values derived using Pearson's chi square for categorical variables, Student t test for normally distributed data, and Mann–Whitney U test for nonparametric data.
b
To convert the values for cholesterol to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.02586. To convert the values for triglyceride to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.01129.
c
Plaque volume expressed as mm3 divided by artery segment length (mm).
d
CAC score using the Agatston technique and expressed in Agatston units.