Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the study participants stratified by tertiles of urinary Gal-3.
| Tertiles of Urinary Gal-3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Patients | Lowest Tertile (<354.6 pg/mL) |
Middle Tertile (354.6–510.7 pg/mL) | Highest Tertile (≥510.8 pg/mL) | p Value | |
| (n = 280) | (n = 93) | (n = 93) | (n = 94) | ||
| Age, years | 56.2 ± 16.5 | 54.7 ± 17.4 | 56.5 ± 17.3 | 57.3 ± 14.7 | 0.541 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 170 (60.7) | 56 (60.2) | 54 (58.1) | 60 (63.8) | 0.717 |
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2 | 46.8 ± 36.0 | 61.0 ± 36.0 | 51.0 ± 37.5 | 28.7 ± 25.7 | <0.001 a |
| ≥60, mL/min/1.73 m2, n (%) | 84 (30.0) | 44 (47.3) | 30 (32.3) | 10 (10.6) | |
| <60, mL/min/1.73 m2, n (%) | 196 (70.0) | 49 (52.7) | 63 (67.7) | 84 (89.4) | |
| UPCR, g/g | 5.6 ± 9.4 | 2.9 ± 4.2 | 4.6 ± 5.5 | 9.2 ± 14.0 | <0.001 b |
| Uric acid, mg/dL | 6.7 ± 2.2 | 6.4 ± 2.2 | 6.6 ± 2.2 | 7.0 ± 2.2 | 0.298 |
| Albumin, mg/dL | 3.2 ± 0.9 | 3.4 ± 0.9 | 3.1 ± 0.8 | 3.1 ± 0.8 | 0.092 |
| Alanine transaminase, U/L | 19.4 ± 14.2 | 19.7 ± 12.2 | 19.0 ± 13.2 | 19.6 ± 17.0 | 0.944 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 115 (41.1) | 35 (37.6) | 39 (41.9) | 41 (43.6) | 0.693 |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 55 (19.6) | 14 (15.1) | 18 (19.4) | 23 (24.5) | 0.268 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 73 (26.1) | 17 (18.3) | 23 (24.7) | 33 (35.1) | 0.030 c |
| SLE, n (%) | 11 (3.9) | 4 (4.3) | 5 (5.4) | 2 (2.1) | 0.507 |
| Coronary artery disease, n (%) | 23 (8.2) | 8 (8.6) | 7 (7.5) | 8 (8.5) | 0.957 |
| Congestive heart failure, n (%) | 50 (17.9) | 15 (16.1) | 14 (15.1) | 21 (22.3) | 0.372 |
| Stroke, n (%) | 12 (4.3) | 7 (7.5) | 1 (1.1) | 4 (4.3) | 0.094 |
| COPD, n (%) | 8 (2.9) | 2 (2.2) | 1 (1.1) | 5 (5.3) | 0.194 |
| Peptic ulcer disease, n (%) | 21 (7.5) | 8 (8.6) | 7 (7.5) | 6 (6.4) | 0.847 |
| Malignancy, n (%) | 64 (22.9) | 18 (19.4) | 18 (19.4) | 28 (29.8) | 0.146 |
a Post hoc test of eGFR showed a significant difference between lowest vs. highest tertile (p < 0.001) and middle vs. highest tertile (p < 0.001). b Post hoc test of UPCR showed a significant difference between lowest vs. highest tertile (p < 0.001) and middle vs. highest tertile (p = 0.002). c Post hoc test of diabetes mellitus showed a significant difference between lowest vs. highest tertile (p = 0.024). Abbreviations: Gal-3, galectin-3; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; UPCR, urine protein–creatinine ratio; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.