Is the association between optimistic cardiovascular risk perceptions and lower rates of cardiovascular disease mortality explained by biomarkers of systemic inflammation or endothelial function? A case-cohort study

Table 1 Description of Sample by Case Status

	No CVD death (n = 118)	CVD death (n = 44)
Comparative optimists (%)*	36.4	18.2
City (%)
Pawtucket	40.7	40.9
Control City	59.3	59.1
Race (%)
African-American	10.2	4.6
Asian/Pac Island	1.7	4.6
Native American	0.0	2.3
White	88.1	88.6
Hispanic Ethnicity (%)	1.7	4.6
Age (%)*
<45	21.2	6.8
45-64	61.9	52.3
65+	16.9	40.9
Education (%)
<HS	49.2	45.5
HS	22.9	29.6
Some Coll	11.9	15.9
Coll Grad+	16.1	9.1
Income (%)
<$10,000	10.9	17.5
$10,000-$19,999	27.3	42.5
$20,000-$29,999	22.7	20.0
$30,000-$39,999	10.9	7.5
$40,000-$49,999	8.2	2.5
$50,000+	20.0	10.0
Foreign Born (%)	36.4	27.3
Current Cigarette Smoker (%)	28.0	36.4
Physical Inactivity (%)	64.4	61.4
BMI - mean (SD)	27.7 (4.08)	28.0 (4.94)
Self-reported DM (%)*	5.9	22.7
Hypertension (%)*	50.0	77.3
TC - mean (SD)	227 (43.2)	228 (38.7)
HDL - mean (SD)**	45 (12.1)	41 (10.8)
C-reactive protein
Mean (SD)**^¶	0.45 (1.12)	1.36 (1.14)
Tertiles (%)*^‡
1	34.8	9.1
2	33.9	38.6
3	31.4	52.3
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
Mean (SD)**^¶	5.42 (0.74)	5.70 (0.57)
Tertiles (%)*^‡
1	34.2	11.6
2	33.3	30.2
3	32.5	58.1

*p < 0.05 on chi-square test; **p < 0.05 on Student's t-test; ¶ log transformed
‡ Tertiles defined by biomarker distribution among sub-cohort chosen without respect for outcome status [CRP: < 0.96 = T1, 0.96-2.82 = T2, >2.82 = T3; VEGF: <166 = T1, 166-299 = T2, >299 = T3]

ISSN: 1751-0759