Table 3.

Physiological and biochemical markers of increased CVD risk.

Variables Indicated as n (%) or Median [IQR]	Normal CRP (<3 mg/L) n = 751	Elevated CRP (>3 mg/L) n = 818	p-Value ¤	Statistic ǂ	p-Value ∞
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) *	127 [114; 144]	131 [117; 147]	0.002	ρ = 0.06	NS
Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) *	85.0 [76.0; 94.0]	88.0 [79.0; 97.0]	<0.001	ρ = 0.08	NS
Heart rate (BPM) *	70.0 [61.0; 81.0]	73.0 [64.0; 87.0]	<0.001	ρ = 0.17	<0.0001
Hypertensive *	176 (23.6%)	228 (28.0%)	NS	3.63 [1.27; 8.88]	NS
normotensive *	569 (76.4%)	586 (72.0%)		3.11 [0.84; 9.32]
Total cholesterol (mmol/L) *	4.76 [4.02; 5.79]	4.95 [4.03; 6.01]	0.035	ρ = 0.04	>0.05
HDL-c (mmol/L) *	1.48 [1.14; 1.98]	1.34 [1.02; 1.80]	<0.001	ρ = −0.15	<0.0001
LDL-c (mmol/L) *	3.01 [2.32; 3.77]	3.23 [2.44; 4.14]	<0.001	ρ = 0.1	<0.0001
Triglycerides (mmol/L) *	1.01 [0.76; 1.41]	1.14 [0.85; 1.65]	<0.001	ρ = 0.144	<0.0001
HbA1c (%) *	5.40 [5.20; 5.70]	5.60 [5.30; 5.90]	<0.001	ρ = 0.23	<0.0001

* Continuous variables presented as median and interquartile [25th; 75th percentile] ranges. ǂ Median CRP concentrations [interquartile ranges] calculated per grouping category or Spearman’s rho (ρ) for continuous variables. All other variables presented as the number of individuals (%) and median values. ¤ p-value for the difference in the distribution of categorical variables of normal and elevated groups, or difference in continuous variables. ∞ p-values for the difference in CRP concentration within grouping variable between categorical variables or p-value for Spearman’s rho. Abbreviations: BPM beats per minute, CRP C-reactive protein, HbA1c glycated hemoglobin, HDL-c high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, IQR interquartile range (25th and 75th percentile), kJ kilojoule, LDL-c low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, mmHg millimeters of mercury, n number of individuals, NS not significant (p > 0.05).