Table 1 Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics of the study patients according to sST2 levels
|  | Total n = 3641 | sST2 (< 19 ng/mL) (n = 1818) | sST2 (≥ 19 ng/mL) (n = 1823) (n = 1823) | p value for trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age, years | 61.40 (26–95) | 61.03 (26–93) | 61.86 (30–95) | 0.031 |
Male, n% | 2632 (72.29) | 1226 (67.44) | 1406 (77.13) | 0.000 |
BMI (kg/m2) | 25.64 (13.30–42.19) | 25.70 (13.30–42.19) | 25.60 (14.50–39.70) | 0.230 |
Risk factors for atherosclerosis | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Current smokers, n (%) | 1668 (45.81) | 810 (44.55) | 858 (47.07) | 0.086 |
 Hypertension, n (%) | 2370 (65.09) | 1160 (63.80) | 1210 (66.37) | 0.090 |
 Hyperlipidemia, n (%) | 1120 (30.76) | 581 (31.96) | 539 (29.57) | 0.099 |
 Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 1163 (31.94) | 590 (32.45) | 573 (31.43) | 0.943 |
Cardiac history | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Previous MI, n (%) | 254 (6.98) | 125 (6.88) | 129 (7.08) | 0.085 |
 Previous PCI/CABG, n (%) | 299 (8.21) | 127 (6.99) | 172 (9.43) | 0.003 |
Laboratory data | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 TC (mmol/L) | 4.03 ± 1.08 | 4.03 ± 1.07 | 4.03 ± 1.09 | 0.816 |
 HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.07 ± 0.68 | 1.07 ± 0.71 | 1.07 ± 0.65 | 0.951 |
 LDL-C (mmol/L) | 2.40 ± 0.91 | 2.38 ± 0.85 | 2.41 ± 0.91 | 0.314 |
 TG (mmol/L) | 1.62 ± 1.21 | 1.54 ± 1.40 | 1.70 ± 0.98 | 0.000 |
Medications | ||||
 Aspirin, n (%) | 3415 (93.79) | 1712 (94.17) | 1703 (93.42) | 0.138 |
 ACEI, n (%) | 1503 (41.28) | 720 (39.60) | 783 (42.95) | 0.530 |
 β-blocker, n(%) | 1821 (50.01) | 891 (49.01) | 930 (51.01) | 0.960 |
 Statins, n (%) | 3442 (94.53) | 1725 (94.88) | 1717 (94.19) | 0.153 |
CAD classification | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 SAP | 899 (24.69) | 486 (26.73) | 413 (22.65) | 0.950 |
 ACS | 2742 (75.3) | 1128 (62.05) | 1614 (88.54) | 0.030 |