Table 1.
Clinical and blood lipids characteristics of the cohort.
| Variables | Total (N = 359) | MI & Stroke Patients (N = 82) | Atherosclerosis Patients (N = 190) | Non-atherosclerosis Controls (N = 68) | Healthy Controls (N = 19) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 59 (53–64) | 61 (56–66) | 59 (53–64) | 59 (53–64) | 55 (49–61) | 0.08 |
| Male, % | 61.8 | 67.1 | 64.2 | 51.5 | 52.6 | 0.16 |
| BMI | 25.9 (23.8–28.2) | 25.0 (23.2–28.1) | 26.2 (24.2–28.1) | 26.8 (24.1–28.7) | 22.9 (21.6–24.2) | <0.01 |
| Red meat, % | 34.5 | 34.1 | 38.4 | 27.9 | 21.1 | 0.28 |
| White meat, % | 8.1 | 4.9 | 11.6 | 2.9 | 5.3 | 0.12 |
| Sweet food, % | 22.3 | 23.2 | 19.5 | 23.5 | 42.1 | 0.13 |
| Salty food, % | 48.5 | 47.6 | 54.7 | 35.3 | 36.8 | 0.04 |
| Spicy food, % | 24.8 | 19.5 | 25.8 | 26.5 | 31.6 | 0.65 |
| Greasy food, % | 35.7 | 30.5 | 38.9 | 35.3 | 26.3 | 0.44 |
| Smoker, % | 44.0 | 54.9 | 45.3 | 29.4 | 36.8 | 0.02 |
| Drinker, % | 33.4 | 41.5 | 32.6 | 25.0 | 36.8 | 0.19 |
| Hypertension, % | 56.5 | 59.8 | 57.4 | 66.2 | 0.0 | <0.01 |
| Diabetes, % | 21.2 | 29.3 | 19.5 | 22.1 | 0.0 | <0.01 |
| Hyperlipidemia, % | 45.4 | 42.7 | 44.7 | 63.2 | 0.0 | <0.01 |
| Atherosclerosis, % | 64.3 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | <0.01 |
| MI, % | 8.6 | 37.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | <0.01 |
| Stroke, % | 15.6 | 68.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | <0.01 |
| TCHO, mM | 4.00 (3.36–4.78) | 3.91 (3.37–4.51) | 4.07 (3.41–5.04) | 4.12 (3.35–4.71) | 4.01 (3.17–4.49) | 0.55 |
| HDL, mM | 1.02 (0.79–1.3) | 0.90 (0.73–1.29) | 1.05 (0.87–1.36) | 0.96 (0.67–1.13) | 1.09 (0.83–1.22) | 0.13 |
| LDL, mM | 2.17 (1.67–2.7) | 2.08 (1.58–2.44) | 2.21 (1.75–2.83) | 2.22 (1.65–2.75) | 2.21 (1.72–2.82) | 0.33 |
| Triglyceride, mM | 1.54 (1.05–2.47) | 1.62 (1.15–2.38) | 1.46 (1.04–2.34) | 2.00 (1.22–3.10) | 0.98 (0.83–1.31) | 0.01 |
| TMAO, ng/mL | 233 (142–368) | 294 (181–424) | 234 (132–349) | 204 (143–329) | 151 (110–338) | 0.28 |
Values are median (interquartile range) or percentage. The p value for the comparison among four groups was obtained by ANOVA design (with a post hoc test) or Kruskal-Wallis H test depending on whether the variables obey normal distribution.
BMI = body mass index, MI = myocardial infarction, TCHO = total cholesterol, HDL = high-density lipoprotein, LDL = low-density lipoprotein, TMAO = trimethylamine N-oxide.