General characteristics of included patients
| Subgroup comparison | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable (n=237)* | cUS (n=142) | No cUS (n=95) | p Value | |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 63.7 (13.7) | 57.1 (12.2) | 73.6 (9.1) | <0.001 |
| Men | 205 (86.5) | 132 (93.0) | 73 (76.8) | <0.001 |
| Conventional risk factors present | ||||
| HT | 163 (68.8) | 74 (52.1) | 89 (93.7) | <0.001 |
| DM | 55 (23.2) | 19 (13.4) | 36 (37.9) | <0.001 |
| DM with microangiopathy | 17 (7.2) | 0 (0) | 17 (17.9) | <0.001 |
| DL | 126 (53.2) | 53 (37.3) | 73 (76.8) | <0.001 |
| Smoking habit background [n=234] | 138 (59.0) | 87 (61.3) | 51 (55.4) | 0.376 |
| Use of diuretics [n=236] | 103 (43.6) | 43 (30.5) | 60 (63.2) | <0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | ||||
| GFR <60 mL/min | 73 (30.8) | 17 (12.0) | 56 (58.9) | <0.001 |
| GFR <30 mL/min | 19 (8.0) | 0 (0) | 19 (20.0) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2, mean (SD) [n=231] | 29.8 (5.2) | 29.9 (5.3) | 29.7 (5.0) | 0.755 |
| Obesity [n=231] | 95 (41.1) | 61 (43.3) | 34 (37.8) | 0.409 |
| History of CV disease | 69 (29.2) | 0 (0) | 69 (73.4) | <0.001 |
| Coronary heart disease | 32 (13.6) | 0 (0) | 32 (34.0) | <0.001 |
| Heart failure | 19 (8.1) | 0 (0) | 19 (20.2) | <0.001 |
| Stroke | 16 (6.8) | 0 (0) | 16 (17.0) | <0.001 |
| Peripheral artery disease | 20 (8.5) | 0 (0) | 20 (21.3) | <0.001 |
| SUA, mg/dL, mean (SD) | 8.1 (1.8) | 8.1 (1.7) | 8.1 (2.0) | 0.998 |
| TCh, mg/dL, mean (SD) [n=236] | 186.0 (42.7) | 201.2 (37.5) | 162.9 (39.9) | <0.001 |
| HDLc, mg/dL, mean (SD) [n=235] | 44.3 (13.5) | 45.9 (13.5) | 41.7 (13.3) | 0.019 |
| TCh:HDLc, mg/dL, mean (SD) [n=235] | 4.5 (1.7) | 4.7 (1.6) | 4.2 (1.7) | 0.037 |
| LDLc, mg/dL, mean (SD) [n=235] | 115.6 (36.1) | 128.0 (32.2) | 97.0 (33.7) | <0.001 |
| TG, mg/dL, mean (SD) [n=236] | 168.7 (101.8) | 182.0 (107.1) | 148.7 (90.0) | 0.013 |
| HbA1C, %, mean (SD) [n=216] | 6.0 (3.4) | 6.0 (4.3) | 6.0 (0.8) | 0.996 |
Group differences based on cUS performance.
Data shown as n (%) unless otherwise specified.
*In square brackets, available data in case of missing values.
BMI, body mass index, calculated as weight:(height)2; CV, cardiovascular; cUS, carotid ultrasound; DL, dyslipidaemia; DM, diabetes mellitus; GFR, glomerular filtration rate; HbA1C, haemoglobin A1C; HDLc, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HT, hypertension; LDLc, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SUA, serum uric acid; TCh, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides.