The association of carotid artery atherosclerosis with the estimated excretion levels of urinary sodium and potassium and their ratio in Chinese adults

Table 1 Characteristics of participants with or without carotid artery plaque

Characteristics (mean ± SD)	Total (N = 13,523)	Without plaque (N = 9444)	With plaque (N = 4079)	P¹
Age (years)	48.66 ± 10.46	45.79 ± 9.71	55.31 ± 9.00	< 0.001
BMI (kg/m²)	24.62 ± 3.19	24.56 ± 3.25	24.75 ± 3.04	0.002
SBP (mmHg)	125.32 ± 16.32	123.04 ± 15.23	130.60 ± 17.49	< 0.001
DBP (mmHg)	77.04 ± 11.54	76.01 ± 11.31	79.41 ± 11.72	< 0.001
FSG (mmol/L)	5.69 ± 1.46	5.56 ± 1.21	6.01 ± 1.89	< 0.001
TC (mmol/L)	5.11 ± 0.98	5.05 ± 0.97	5.27 ± 1.00	< 0.001
TG (mmol/L)	1.92 ± 1.79	1.90 ± 1.85	1.98 ± 1.64	0.013
LDL-C (mmol/L)	2.91 ± 0.85	2.85 ± 0.83	3.04 ± 0.88	< 0.001
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.34 ± 0.31	1.35 ± 0.31	1.33 ± 0.30	0.001
Estimated UNa (g/day) ²	4.32 ± 1.15	4.32 ± 1.15	4.32 ± 1.14	0.56
Estimated UK (g/day) ²	2.11 ± 0.45	2.13 ± 0.46	2.08 ± 0.45	< 0.001
Na/K ratio	2.10 ± 0.65	2.09 ± 0.61	2.14 ± 0.73	< 0.001
Male sex (%)	37.4	40.1	31.2	< 0.001
Current alcohol users (%)	33.1	32.4	34.6	0.006
Current smokers (%)	27.6	25.7	31.9	< 0.001
Hypertension³	32.6	26.1	47.7	< 0.001
Dyslipidemia⁴	37.5	34.9	43.3	< 0.001
Diabetes mellitus⁵ (%)	8.3	6.0	13.4	< 0.001
CVD (%)	1.6	1.0	3.1	< 0.001

Note: SD standard deviation, BMI body mass index, SBP systolic blood pressure, DBP diastolic blood pressure, FSG fasting serum glucose, TC total cholesterol, TG triglyceride, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, UNa urinary sodium excretion, UK urinary potassium excretion;
¹ P were obtained between those with or without plaque using the two-sample nonparametric Wilcoxon test and the chi-square test for categorical variables
² 24-h urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine levels were estimated using the Kawasaki formula
³ Hypertension was defined as self-reported hypertension diagnosed by a physician, self-reported regular use of antihypertensive medications, or systolic/diastolic blood pressure at recruitment ≥140/90 mmHg
⁴ Dyslipidemia was defined as meeting any of the following criteria: 1) TC ≥ 6.22 mmol/L; 2) LDL-C ≥ 4.14 mmol/L; 3) HDL-C < 1.04 mmol/L; 4) TG ≥2.26 mmol/L; 5) self-reported dyslipidemia or use of lipid-lowering medications;
⁵ Diabetes mellitus was defined as self-reported diabetes diagnosed by a physician, self-reported regular use of antidiabetic medications, or fasting glucose at recruitment ≥7.0 mmol/L.

ISSN: 1475-2891