Table 1.
Demographic and selected clinical characteristics
| Variables |
Entire Cohort (N = 244) |
Female (N = 160) |
Male (N = 84) |
p-value |
Effect Size (Female vs Male) |
95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yrs) | 82.45 (7.11) | 83.18 (7.12) | 81.07 (6.91) | 0.026 | -0.299 | -0.565- -0.034 |
| BMI (Kg/m2) | 25.77 (6.06) | 25.53 (6.61) | 26.32 (4.51) | ns | - | - |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 99.16 (29.93) | 99.29 (31.95) | 98.91 (25.91) | ns | - | - |
| HbA1C (%) | 6.08 (1.56) | 6.15 (1.63) | 5.95 (1.41) | ns | - | - |
| Total protein (g/dL) | 6.58 (0.59) | 6.57 (0.59) | 6.59 (0.60) | ns | ||
| Albumin (g/dL) | 54.61 (8.03) | 53.44 (7.67) | 56.62 (8.29) | 0.010 | 0.403 | 0.137–0.670 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 159.16 (40.44) | 163.86 (40.42) | 150.50 (39.32) | 0.024 | -0.334 | -0.599- -0.068 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 88.75 (32.79) | 90.76 (32.53) | 85.04 (33.17) | ns | - | - |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 49.69 (14.17) | 51.39 (14.62) | 46.56 (12.81) | 0.021 | -0.344 | -0.610- -0.079 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 116.74 | 122.65 (71.97) | 105.84 (44.21) | ns | - | - |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.12 (0.43) | 1.05 (0.43) | 1.24 (0.40) | < 0.0001 | 0.452 | 0.185–0.720 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.70 (0.36) | 0.67 (0.34) | 0.75 (0.38) | ns | - | - |
| Uric acid (mg/dL) | 4.64 (1.39) | 4.58 (1.40) | 4.78 (1.38) | ns | - | - |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 142.50 (130.75) | 126.07 (126.43) | 170.34 (134.08) | 0.004 | 0.343 | 0.077–0.609 |
| C-Reactive Protein (mg/L) | 14.63 (20.90) | 15.30 (22.60) | 13.17 (17.07) | ns | - | - |
| RBC (× 1012/L) | 4.26 (0.65) | 4.20 (0.60) | 4.37 (0.73) | 0.017 | 0.263 | 0.003–0.528 |
| WBC (× 109/L) | 6.74 (2.09) | 6.91 (2.28) | 6.41 (1.64) | ns | - | - |
| Lymphocytes % | 24.64 (10.58) | 26.07 (10.67) | 22.06 (9.99) | 0.012 | -0.384 | -0.650- -0.118 |
| Neutrophils % | 56.57 (16.05) | 56.88 (14.48) | 55.99 (18.63) | ns | - | - |
| Monocytes % | 10.31 (5.18) | 10.22 (4.88) | 10.48 (5.70) | ns | - | - |
| Basophils % | 0.83 (0.53) | 0.83 (0.53) | 0.81 (0.52) | ns | - | - |
| Eosinophils % | 2.55 (2.13) | 2.50 (2.13) | 2.65 (2.15) | ns | - | - |
| Platelets (× 109/L) | 244.48 (107.28) | 262.19 (117.33) | 212.73 (77.43) | < 0.0001 | -0.469 | -0.737—-0.202 |
| HGS (Kg) | 17.54 (10.49) | 12.53 (5.98) | 24.91 (11.36) | < 0.0001 | 1.504 | 1.208—1.80 |
| GS Gait Speed (m/s) | 0.64 (0.28) | 0.55 (0.22) | 0.78(0.32) | 0.001 | 0.889 | 0.613—1.165 |
| MMSE | 18.01 (5.64) | 17.52 (5.87) | 18.91 (5.12) | ns | - | - |
| ADL dependence (> 1) | 65.5% | 71.8% | 53.2% | 0.008 | 0.351 | - |
| CIRS-TS | 17.71 (12.57) | 17.86 (12.65) | 17.38 (12.47) | ns | - | - |
| CIRS- CI | 2.54 (2.90) | 2.62 (3.01) | 2.37 (2.81) | ns | - | - |
| Mir-181a (log 2− ΔCt) | -0.28 (1.18) | -0.26 (1.22) | -0.30 (1.09) | ns | - | - |
Continuous variables are expressed as mean and standard deviations (SD), while categorical variables are expressed as percentage (%). P value from t-test or Mann–Whitney depending on continuous data distribution and from chi-squared test of association for categorical variables
Abbreviations: HGS Hand Grip Strength, GS Gait Speed, LDL Low-density lipoprotein, HDL High-density lipoprotein, RBC Red Blood Cells, WBC White Blood Cells, MMSE Mini Mental State Examination, ADL Activities of Daily Living, CIRS-TS Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS)-Total Score, CIRS-CI, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS)-Comorbidity Index, ns not significant