Table 1.
Clinical characteristics in patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic carotid artery stenosis that were analyzed for plaque NOX4 expression. Statistics: All data are presented as median with minimum and maximum values. Comparison of data was done using the Mann-Whitney U test. Comparison of prevalence's for comorbidities and prescribed medical therapies was analyzed by Chi-square (X2) test. In total n = 60 asymptomatic and n = 42 symptomatic patients were included but data on baseline demographics, medical therapies and comorbidities were not available from all patients. Therefore, the number of n varies compared to the initially included patients. Blood was taken in the non-fasted state. Reference values for the corresponding blood parameters are given in the table. Reference values for LDL and total cholesterol (TC) are based on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommendations. Reference values for fasting glucose were excluded due to the withdrawal in the non-fasted state. Stroke was classified as symptoms occurring longer than 24 h, whereas symptoms in a transient ischemic attack (TIA) resolved within the first 24 h. Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARBs, angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI, body mass index; ASA, acetylsalicylic acid; CAD, coronary artery disease; CCB, calcium channel blocker; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; NASCET, North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; PAD, peripheral artery disease; T2D, type 2 diabetes mellitus; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
| Asymptomatic | Symptomatic | p-value | X2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, median with minimum and maximum, n | 74.0 | 72.5 | 0.77 | |
| (45.0–86.0) | (57.0–92.0) | |||
| 60 | 42 | |||
| Sex, male:female, % male | 47:13, 78 | 30:12, 71 | 0.43 | 0.64 |
| NASCET, % median with range, n | 80.0 | 80.0 | 0.38 | |
| (70.0–90.0) | (60.0–90.0) | |||
| 57 | 41 | |||
| NIHSS, median with minimum and maximum, n | – | 1 | ||
| (0-18) | ||||
| 39 | ||||
| BMI, kg/m2, median with range, n | 26.3 | 26.9 | 0.49 | |
| (17.0–37.5) | (17.6–40.9) | |||
| 56 | 40 | |||
| Blood glucose, mmol/L, median with range, n | 5.51 | 6.20 | 0.03 | |
| (3.40–17.11) | (4.13–16.04) | |||
| 58 | 39 | |||
| Reference values | Only for fasting glucose possible | |||
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/L, median with range, n | 2.14 | 2.81 | 0.02 | |
| (0.72–6.58) | (1.10–5.59) | |||
| 58 | 35 | |||
| Reference values | <1.40 mmol/L for people with very-high risk [43] | |||
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L, median with range, n | 1.25 | 1.21 | 0.89 | |
| (0.50–2.71) | (0.73–2.00) | |||
| 58 | 35 | |||
| Reference values | >0.90 mmol/L for men and >1.10 mmol/L for women | |||
| Triglycerides, mmol/L, median with range, n | 1.71 | 1.47 | 0.19 | |
| (0.45–5.81) | (0.52–4.40) | |||
| 57 | 37 | |||
| Reference values | 0.35–1.70 mmol/L | |||
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L, median with range, n | 3.80 | 4.59 | 0.06 | |
| (2.24–9.08) | (2.49–7.38) | |||
| 57 | 35 | |||
| Reference values | <4.00 mmol/L | |||
| CRP, mg/L, median with range, n | 1.90 | 2.65 | 0.45 | |
| (0.30–11.90) | (0.30–36.00) | |||
| 56 | 42 | |||
| Reference values | <5.0 mg/L | |||
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Hypertension, yes:no, % total | 56:2, 97 | 38:3, 93 | 0.39 | 0.75 |
| PAD, yes:no, % total | 19:40, 32 | 6:36, 14 | 0.04 | 4.23 |
| CAD, yes:no, % total | 22:35, 39 | 7:35, 17 | 0.01 | 6.13 |
| HI, yes:no, % total | 15:43, 26 | 7:35, 17 | 0.27 | 1.20 |
| Smoking, yes:no, % total | 22:37, 37 | 13:29, 31 | 0.51 | 0.44 |
| T2D, yes:no, % total | 22:35, 39 | 20:22, 48 | 0.37 | 0.81 |
| Medical therapies | ||||
| ASA, yes:no, % total | 47:11, 81 | 29:13, 69 | 0.17 | 1.92 |
| Anticoagulation, yes:no,% total | 17:40, 30 | 14:28, 33 | 0.71 | 0.14 |
| Statins, yes:no, % total | 55:2, 97 | 29:13, 69 | 0.0002 | 14.17 |
| β-blocker, yes:no, % total | 30:27, 53 | 14:28, 33 | 0.05 | 3.65 |
| ΑRBs, yes:no, % total | 22:34, 39 | 12:30, 29 | 0.27 | 1.22 |
| ACE, yes:no, % total | 22:35, 39 | 16:26, 39 | 0.96 | 0.003 |
| CCBs, yes:no, % total | 25:32, 44 | 9:33, 21 | 0.02 | 5.39 |
| Diuretics, yes:no, % total | 22:35, 39 | 9:35, 21 | 0.07 | 3.31 |
| Insulin, yes:no, % total | 7:50, 13 | 5:37, 12 | 0.96 | 0.003 |