Table 1.
Essential features based on carotid plaque.
| Variables | Overall | Without Plaque | With Plaque | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 3467 | n = 2423 | n = 1044 | ||
| Age (years), n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| 22–39 | 726 (20.9) | 654 (27.0) | 72 (6.9) | |
| 40–49 | 1425 (41.1) | 1056 (43.6) | 369 (35.3) | |
| 50–60 | 1316 (38.0) | 713 (29.4) | 603 (57.8) | |
| Education level, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Primary or Middle | 1021 (29.5) | 598 (24.7) | 423 (40.5) | |
| High school or college | 1827 (52.7) | 1308 (54.0) | 519 (49.17) | |
| University and above | 619 (17.9) | 517 (21.3) | 102 (9.8) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 0.120 | |||
| <25 | 1738 (50.1) | 1236 (51.0) | 502 (48.1) | |
| ≥25 | 1729 (49.9) | 1187 (49.0) | 542 (51.9) | |
| Diabetes status | <0.001 | |||
| No, n (%) | 3000 (86.5) | 2165 (89.4) | 835 (80.0) | |
| Yes, n (%) | 467 (13.5) | 258 (10.6) | 209 (20.0) | |
| Lifestyle factors | ||||
| Smoking status, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Never/Ever | 1665 (48.0) | 1240 (51.2) | 425 (40.7) | |
| Current | 1802 (52.0) | 1183 (48.8) | 619 (59.3) | |
| Drinking status, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Never/Ever | 2139 (61.7) | 1599 (66.0) | 540 (51.7) | |
| Current | 1328 (38.3) | 824 (34.0) | 504 (48.3) | |
| Physical activity, n (%) | 0.901 | |||
| Low/Moderate | 282 (8.2) | 198 (8.2) | 84 (8.0) | |
| High | 3185 (91.9) | 2225 (91.8) | 960 (92.0) | |
| DASH score, mean (SD) | 21.6 (2.4) | 21.6 (2.3) | 21.6 (2.5) | 0.793 |
| Blood pressure (mmHg) | ||||
| SBP, mean (SD) | 129.5 (16.5) | 127.1 (15.6) | 135.3 (17.2) | <0.001 |
| DBP, mean (SD) | 82.8 (10.6) | 81.5 (10.3) | 85.8 (10.8) | <0.001 |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 46.0 (7.9) | 44.3 (8.0) | 49.9 (5.9) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 25.2 (3.3) | 25.1 (3.3) | 25.4 (3.2) | 0.014 |
| Lipid profiles (mmol/L) | ||||
| TC, mean (SD) | 5.2 (1.0) | 5.0 (0.9) | 5.4 (1.0) | <0.001 |
| TG, median (IQR) | 1.3 (0.9–1.9) | 1.3 (0.9–1.10) | 1.4 (0.9–2.0) | 0.003 |
| HDL-C, mean (SD) | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.3) | 0.007 |
| LDL-C, mean (SD) | 3.3 (0.9) | 3.1 (0.8) | 3.5 (0.9) | <0.001 |
| FBG (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 6.1 (1.4) | 6.0 (1.2) | 6.4 (1.7) | <0.001 |
| hs-CRP (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 0.01 (0.00–0.07) | 0.01 (0.00–0.06) | 0.02 (0.00–0.10) | <0.001 |
BMI, body mass index; DASH, dietary approaches to stop hypertension; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; FBG, fasting blood glucose, TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IQR, inter quartile range.