- Summary of the patient’s characteristics, blood lipid profiles, and plaque features.
| Patient characteristics | Patients with carotid plaque (n=180) |
|---|---|
| Age (years), mean±SD | 69.8±10.4 |
| Gender | |
| Men | 137 (76.1) |
| Women | 43 (23.9) |
| Hypertension | |
| Yes | 113 (62.7) |
| No | 67 (37.3) |
| Diabetes | |
| Yes | 90 (50.0) |
| No | 90 (50.0) |
| Smoking | |
| Yes | 13 (7.2) |
| No | 167 (92.8) |
| No. of plaques/patient | |
| One | 99 (55.0) |
| More than one | 81 (45.0) |
| Blood lipid profile, median (IQR) | |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.5 (1.5) |
| High, n(%) | 11 (6.5) |
| Triglyceride (mmol/L) | 1.1 (0.67) |
| High, n(%) | 25 (15.1) |
| Low-density lipoproteins (mmol/L) | 2.1 (1.5) |
| High, n(%) | 15 (10.7) |
| Plaque site and features | |
| Common carotid artery | 11 (6.1) |
| Internal carotid artery | 51 (28.3) |
| External carotid artery | 5 (2.7) |
| Carotid bulb | 113 (62.7) |
| Degree of stenosis (%), median (IQR) | 34.4 (17.2) |
| Plaque length (mm), median (IQR) | 5 (6.0) |
| Plaque thickness (mm), median (IQR) | 3 (1.0) |
| cIMT (mm), median (IQR) | 1 (0.3) |
Values are presented as numbers and precentages (%) or median interquartile range (IQR). cIMT: common carotid intima-media thickness, SD: standard deviation