Table 2 Characteristics of the patients who were included (LDL cholesterol <3.35 mmol/L) or not (LDL cholesterol ≥3.35 mmol/L) in the study
|  | Included patients n = 1080 | Excluded patients n = 543 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
Clinical characteristics | |||
 Age, years | 61.6 ± 9.0 | 60.3 ± 9.2 | 0.09 |
 Gender, male/female | 614/466 | 291/252 | 0.21 |
 Body mass index, kg/m2 | 30.2 ± 5.9 | 30.3 ± 6.4 | 0.786 |
Diabetes | |||
 Diabetes duration, years | 13.8 ± 8.5 | 13.7 ± 3.7 | 0.838 |
 HbA1c, % | 8.5 ± 1.8 | 8.9 ± 2.5 | <0.001 |
 Retinopathy, % | 357 (34.2) | 180 (34.0) | 0.94 |
 Nephropathy, % | 406 (57.3) | 181 (30.8) | <0.001 |
 Peripheral neuropathy, % | 233 (13.9) | 139 (45.4) | 0.71 |
 Peripheral arterial occlusive disease, % | 119 (11.3) | 56 (10.4) | 0.58 |
 Family history of premature CAD, % | 137 (13.0) | 69 (13.4) | 0.83 |
Additional cardiovascular risk factors | |||
 Hypertension, % | 402 (76.3) | 235 (72.8) | 0.25 |
 Dyslipidemia, % | 244 (65.3) | 246 (72.1) | <0.01 |
 Lipid parameters | |||
  HDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 1.2 ± 0.4 | 0.001 |
  Triglycerides, mmol/L | 1.7 ± 1.0 | 1.9 ± 1.0 | <0.001 |
  LDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 2.4 ± 0.6 | 4.1 ± 0.7 | <0.001 |
  Non-HDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 3.2 ± 0.7 | 4.9 ± 0.9 | <0.0001 |
  Apoprotein A1, g/L | 1.47 ± 0.29 | 1.50 ± 0.30 | 0.506 |
  Apoprotein B, g/L | 0.89 ± 0.18 | 1.31 ± 0.23 | <0.0001 |
 Fibrate treatment, % | 96 (9.1) | 61 (11.8) | 0.085 |
 Statin treatment, % | 438 (41.4) | 129 (25.0) | <0.001 |
 Smoking, % | 245 (22.8) | 135 (25.1) | 0.30 |