Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patients and normal controls
|  | Severe AS (n = 28) | Normal controls (n = 15) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
Age (years) | 69 ± 10 | 63 ± 4 | 0.01 |
Male, n (%) | 21 (75) | 8 (53) | 0.16 |
Body mass index (kg/m2) | 28 ± 5 | 27 ± 4 | 0.41 |
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 134 ± 17 | 131 ± 11 | 0.52 |
Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 75 ± 9 | 76 ± 9 | 0.52 |
Heart rate (bpm) | 66 ± 10 | 62 ± 9 | 0.18 |
Peak aortic valve gradient (mmHg)* | 82 ± 14 | − |  |
 Symptoms, n (%) |  |  |  |
 Asymptomatic | 3 (11) | − |  |
 Dyspnoea | 18 (64) | − |  |
 Angina | 8 (29) | − |  |
 Syncope | 1 (<1) | − |  |
Past medical history, n (%) | Â | Â | Â |
 Hypertension | 11 (39%) | − |  |
 Dyslipidaemia | 7 (25%) | − |  |
 Diabetes | 5 (18%) | − |  |
Medications, n (%) | Â | Â | Â |
 Aspirin | 11 (39) | − |  |
 Metformin | 5 (18) | − |  |
 ACE-I/ARB-II | 8 (29) | − |  |
 Beta-blockers | 5 (18) | − |  |
 Statin | 13 (46) | − |  |
Biochemical (mmol/L) | Â | Â | Â |
 Blood glucose | 5.5 ± 1.7 | 5.1 ± 0.9 | 0.36 |
 Total cholesterol | 4.6 ± 1.0 | 5.5 ± 0.6 | 0.013 |
 Triglycerides | 1.2 ± 0.8 | 1.0 ± 0.3 | 0.58 |
 High-density lipoprotein | 1.4 ± 0.4 | 1.5 ± 0.4 | 0.83 |