Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with and without high-risk plaque
| Variable | Overall n = 230 | HRP present n = 86 | HRP not present = 144 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 62 ± 10 | 62 ± 9 | 61 ± 10 | 0.40 |
| Male, n (%) | 144 (63) | 77 (90) | 91 (63) | < 0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 30.6 ± 3.78 | 29.4 ± 3.78 | 31.23 ± 5.17 | 0.01 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 107 ± 15 | 106 ± 9 | 107 ± 15 | 0.47 |
| Waist / hip –ratio | 1.00 ± 0.1 | 1.02 ± 0.1 | 0.99 ± 0.1 | 0.02 |
| Outpatient diabetes care, n (%) | 144 (63) | 52 (60) | 92 (64) | 0.56 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 160 (70) | 57 (66) | 102 (71) | 0.52 |
| Hypercholesterolemia, n (%) | 179 (78) | 65 (76) | 114 (79) | 0.53 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 53 (23) | 25 (29) | 27 (19) | 0.07 |
| Pack years | 15.9 ± 19.2 | 20.2 ± 22.7 | 13.1 ± 16.2 | 0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 141.3 ± 15.7 | 141.5 ± 15.8 | 141.2 ± 15.3 | 0.87 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 85.8 ± 10.2 | 86.6 ± 9.74 | 85.4 ± 10.53 | 0.38 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 2.0 ± 0.8 | 2.1 ± 0.8 | 1.9 ± 0.8 | 0.15 |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.3 ± 0.7 | 1.2 ± 0.5 | 1.3 ± 0.7 | 0.97 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/L | 2.0 ± 1.1 | 2.2 ± 1.2 | 2.0 ± 1.1 | 0.21 |
| CRP, mg /L | 2.9 ± 3.7 | 2.6 ± 3.7 | 3.0 ± 3.7 | 0.35 |
| Troponin, T ng/L | 10.0 ± 8.6 | 10.8 ± 9.8 | 9.5 ± 7.8 | 0.28 |
| HbA1c, mmol/mol | 60.1 ± 14.1 | 64.1 ± 15.8 | 57.7 ± 12.6 | < 0.001 |
| CACS, median [IQR] | 72.5 [1;460] | 113.0 [25;408] | 28.5 ± [0;612] | 0.11 |
| Duration of diabetes, years | 10.9 ± 8.0 | 10.1 ± 9.0 | 11.4 ± 7.3 | 0.21 |
| Lipid-lowering duration, years | 5.3 ± 5.7 | 5.1 ± 5.7 | 5.5 ± 5.7 | 0.58 |
| Diabetic complications, n (%) | 123 (54) | 55 (64) | 68 (47) | 0.01 |
| Retinopathy, n (%) | 52 (23) | 25 (29) | 27 (19) | 0.07 |
| Albuminuria, n (%) | 65 (28) | 30 (35) | 35 (24) | 0.09 |
| Neuropathy, n (%) | 57 (25) | 23 (27) | 34 (24) | 0.28 |
| Medication, n (%) | ||||
| Lipid-lowering, n (%) | 178 (77) | 65 (76) | 113 (78) | 0.61 |
| Aspirin, n (%) | 30 (13) | 10 (12) | 21 (15) | 0.30 |
| Beta blocker, n (%) | 23 (10) | 5 (6) | 18 (13) | 0.10 |
| ACE/ARB inhibitor, n (%) | 152 (66) | 56 (65) | 96 (67) | 0.81 |
| Insulin, n (%) | 90 (39) | 28 (33) | 62 (43) | 0.11 |
| GLP-1 inhibitor, n (%) | 54 (23) | 15 (17) | 39 (27) | 0.10 |
| DPP4 inhibitor, n (%) | 35 (15) | 17 (20) | 18 (13) | 0.14 |
| Biguanide, n (%) | 192 (83) | 77 (90) | 115 (80) | 0.06 |
| Sulfonylurea, n (%) | 40 (17) | 21 (24) | 19 (13) | 0.03 |
| SGLT2, n (%) | 21 (9) | 9 (10) | 12 (8) | 0.59 |
Baseline characteristics were compared between patients with and without HRP. A p < 0.05 was considered a significant
BMI body mass index, ACE/ARB ace converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, LDL low-density lipoprotein, HDL high density lipoprotein, CRP c-reactive protein, CACS coronary artery calcium score, GLP-1 glucagon like peptid-1, DPP4 inhibitor dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, SGLT-2 sodium glucose cotransport-2 inhibitor