Baseline characteristics of the study participants (n = 744)
| Variables | Control subjects | Case subjects | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 496 | 248 | — |
| Sex (% men) | 62 | 62 | NS* |
| Age (years) | 65 ± 3 | 66 ± 4 | NS* |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26 ± 3 | 29 ± 4 | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 93 ± 13 | 101 ± 14 | <0.001 |
| Duration of diabetes (years) | 13 ± 3 | 14 ± 3 | NS |
| Oral hypoglycemic agents (%) | 61.9 | 63.3 | NS |
| Insulin treatment only (%) | 12 | 14 | NS |
| Current smokers (%) | 20 | 22 | NS |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 124 ± 13 | 131 ± 15 | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 79 ± 12 | 83 ± 10 | <0.001 |
| A1C (%) | 6.9 ± 0.8 | 7.2 ± 0.9 | 0.059 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 1.24 ± 0.6 | 1.62 ± 0.9 | <0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.39 ± 0.3 | 1.25 ± 0.4 | <0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3.29 ± 0.4 | 3.27 ± 0.5 | NS |
| AST (units/l) | 20 ± 10 | 26 ± 12 | <0.01 |
| ALT (units/l) | 23 ± 12 | 33 ± 14 | <0.001 |
| GGT (units/l) | 27 ± 14 | 38 ± 16 | <0.001 |
| Microalbuminuria (%) | 20 | 23 | NS |
| ATP III–defined metabolic syndrome (%) | 52 | 73 | <0.001 |
| NAFLD (%) | 56 | 94 | <0.001 |
Data are the means ± SD, unless otherwise indicated. Differences were assessed by the unpaired t test (for normally distributed variables) and by the χ2 test (for categorical variables).
* Matched variables.