Table 1. Patient characteristics according to the levels of the maximum intima–media thickness of the carotid artery (Entire cohort: n = 112) .
| Variables | Entire Cohort | Max IMT ＜1.5 mm | Max IMT ≥ 1.5 mm | P -Value | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 112 | n = 55 | n = 57 | |||
| Clinical Findings | |||||
| Age (years) | 63.0±10.3 [112] | 58.7±9.9 | 67.1±9.1 | ＜0.0001 | 0.883 |
| Gender (Men; %) | 66 (58.9) [112] | 24 (43.6) | 42 (73.7) | 0.0012 | 0.642 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 126.2±6.7 [112] | 126.2±6.7 | 126.2±6.7 | 0.9805 | 0.000 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 77.4±5.0 [112] | 77.6±4.8 | 77.2±5.3 | 0.6953 | 0.079 |
| MBP (mmHg) | 93.6±5.4 [112] | 93.8±5.3 | 93.5±5.4 | 0.7977 | 0.056 |
| BMI (kg/m 2 ) | 24.5±3.4 [112] | 24.3±3.3 | 24.6±3.6 | 0.6845 | 0.087 |
| Max CCA-IMT (mm) | 0.9 (0.8–1.3) [112] | 0.8 (0.7–0.9) | 1.2 (0.8–1.7) | ＜0.0001 | 0.966 |
| Max bulb-IMT (mm) | 1.2 (0.9–1.7) [88] | 0.9 (0.8–1.2) | 1.7 (1.3–2.3) | ＜0.0001 | 1.490 |
| Max ICA-IMT (mm) | 1.6 (1.2–2.4) [82] | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | 2.0 (1.6–3.3) | ＜0.0001 | 1.665 |
| Max IMT (mm) | 1.5 (1.2–2.2) [112] | 1.2 (0.9–1.2) | 2.1 (1.8–3.2) | ＜0.0001 | 2.069 |
| Distribution ratio of Max-IMT: CCA/ bulb /ICA | 18 (16.1)/ 38 (33.9)/ 56 (50.0) [112] | 11 (20.0)/ 24 (43.6)/ 20 (36.4) | 7 (12.3)/ 14 (24.6)/ 36 (63.2) | 0.0178 | NA |
| Laboratory Findings | |||||
| Serum Albumin (g/dL) | 4.22±0.28 [112] | 4.29±0.27 | 4.16±0.28 | 0.0216 | 0.473 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 13.5±1.7 [112] | 13.7±1.7 | 13.3±1.8 | 0.2575 | 0.228 |
| Serum Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.18±0.82 [112] | 1.15±0.92 | 1.20±0.72 | 0.7359 | 0.061 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) | 56.0±20.6 [112] | 59.0±22.1 | 53.1±18.9 | 0.1327 | 0.287 |
| CKD stage 1/ 2/ 3a/3b/4/5 (%) |
5 (4.5)/ 40 (35.7)/ 37 (33.0)/ 16 (14.3)/ 10 (8.9)/ 4 (3.6) [112] |
2 (3.6)/ 25 (45.5)/ 16 (29.1)/ 4 (7.3)/ 5 (9.1)/ 3 (5.5) |
3 (5.3)/ 15 (26.3)/ 21 (36.8)/ 12 (21.1)/ 5 (8.8)/ 1 (1.8) |
0.1383 | NA |
| Uric Acid (mg/dL) | 5.82±1.42 [112] | 5.58±1.65 | 6.05±1.13 | 0.0751 | 0.332 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 145.6±71.9 [112] | 127.9±62.9 | 162.7±76.4 | 0.0098 | 0.497 |
| Total Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 202.4±37.8 [112] | 208.7±38.0 | 196.4±36.8 | 0.0838 | 0.329 |
| LDL Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 118.0±34.5 [112] | 124.3±35.5 | 112.0±32.7 | 0.0585 | 0.360 |
| HDL Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 55.4±15.6 [112] | 58.8±14.6 | 52.1±15.9 | 0.0221 | 0.439 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 104.5±22.5 [111] | 102.2±19.2 | 106.8±25.3 | 0.2893 | 0.205 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (NGSP) (%) | 6.03±0.83 [91] | 5.89±0.63 | 6.17±0.97 | 0.1078 | 0.342 |
| Hs-CRP (ng/mL) | 473.0 (263.8–735.8) [110] | 468.0 (199.0–702.0) | 552.0 (281.5–950.5) | 0.1965 | 0.408 |
| UACR (mg/g Cre) | 59.2 (19.3–191.35) [112] | 42.1 (18.2–130.6) | 82.0 (22.8–459.7) | 0.0551 | 0.449 |
| Primary cause of CKD | |||||
| Diabetic nephropathy (%) | 11 (9.8) [112] | 3 (5.5) | 8 (14.0) | 0.2036 | 0.290 |
| Chronic glomerulonephritis (%) | 49 (43.8) [112] | 26 (47.3) | 23 (40.4) | 0.4604 | 0.139 |
| Nephrosclerosis (%) | 31 (27.7) [112] | 14 (25.5) | 17 (29.8) | 0.6053 | 0.096 |
| Others (%) | 21 (18.8) [112] | 12 (21.8) | 9 (15.8) | 0.4138 | 0.154 |
| Concomitant drugs | |||||
| Antihypertensive agents (%) | 78 (69.6) [112] | 36 (65.5) | 42 (73.7) | 0.3437 | 0.179 |
| ARB and or ACEI | 59 (52.7) [112] | 26 (47.3) | 33 (57.9) | 0.2603 | 0.213 |
| CCB | 34 (30.4) [112] | 16 (29.1) | 18 (31.6) | 0.7747 | 0.054 |
| Antidyslipidemic agents ( n (%)) | 48 (42.9) [112] | 16 (29.1) | 32 (56.1) | 0.0038 | 0.568 |
| Antihyperuricemic agents (%) | 45 (40.2) [112] | 24 (43.6) | 21 (36.8) | 0.4634 | 0.139 |
| Antidiabetic agents (%) | 12 (10.7) [112] | 3 (5.5) | 9 (15.8) | 0.1247 | 0.339 |
| Corticosteroids (%) | 8 (7.1) [112] | 4 (7.3) | 4 (7.0) | 1.0000 | 0.012 |
| Immunosuppressants (%) | 6 (5.4) [112] | 3 (5.5) | 3 (5.3) | 1.0000 | 0.009 |
| Diuretics (%) | 25 (22.3) [112] | 16 (29.1) | 9 (15.8) | 0.0910 | 0.323 |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Hypertension (%) | 77 (68.8) [112] | 36 (65.5) | 41 (71.9) | 0.4598 | 0.138 |
| Hyperuricemia (%) | 55 (49.1) [112] | 29 (52.7) | 26 (45.6) | 0.4516 | 0.142 |
| Hypertriglyceridemia (%) | 67 (59.8) [112] | 26 (47.3) | 41 (71.9) | 0.0078 | 0.518 |
| Hypercholesterolemia (%) | 76 (67.9) [112] | 35 (63.6) | 41 (71.9) | 0.3475 | 0.178 |
| Low HDL cholesterol (%) | 52 (46.4) [112] | 16 (29.1) | 36 (63.2) | 0.0003 | 0.728 |
| Hyperglycemia (%) | 37 (33.0) [112] | 15 (27.3) | 22 (38.6) | 0.2027 | 0.242 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 21 (18.8) [112] | 7 (12.7) | 14 (24.6) | 0.1087 | 0.309 |
＊ Continuous variables are expressed as means and standard deviations. Categorical variables are expressed as n (%). Values of nonmissing data are shown in [ ]. Abbreviations: Max IMT, maximum measurable intima-media thickness in the entire scanned common carotid arteries, carotid bulbs, and internal carotid arteries; n , number; P , calculated probability; SD, standardized differences; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; MBP, mean blood pressure; BMI, body mass index; Max CCA-IMT, maximum intima–media thickness of the common carotid artery; Max bulb-IMT, maximum intima–media thickness of the carotid bulb; Max ICA-IMT, maximum intima–media thickness of the internal carotid artery; NA, not applicable; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; CKD, chronic kidney disease; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HDL, high- density lipoprotein; Hs-CRP, high sensitivity C-reactive protein; UACR, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio; ARB, angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blocker; ACEI, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; CCB, calcium-channel blocker.