Table 1 Distribution of baseline characteristics according to levels of IL-6 and YKL-40
| Â | Group 1* | Group 2* | Group 3* | Group 4* | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (year), median (IQR) | 57 (50–64) | 64 (58–71) | 60 (53–67) | 69 (61–76) | < 0.0001 |
Male, no. (%) | 2355 (73.7) | 1268 (62.1) | 1511 (74.0) | 2031 (63.6) | < 0.0001 |
Body mass index, median (IQR) | 24.8 (22.9–26.7) | 24.2 (22.4–26.3) | 24.7 (22.9–26.8) | 24.2 (22.3–26.3) | < 0.0001 |
Smoking, no. (%) | 1534 (48.0) | 779 (38.2) | 1071 (52.5) | 1270 (39.8) | < 0.0001 |
Medical history, no. (%) | |||||
 Ischemic stroke | 563 (17.6) | 422 (20.7) | 422 (20.7) | 830 (26.0) |  < 0.0001 |
 Diabetes | 725 (22.7) | 460 (22.5) | 519 (25.4) | 806 (25.2) | 0.02 |
 Hypertension | 1893 (59.3) | 1318 (64.6) | 1279 (62.7) | 2096 (65.6) | < 0.0001 |
 Hypercholesterolemia | 284 (8.9) | 135 (6.6) | 174 (8.5) | 276 (8.6) | 0.02 |
 Coronary heart disease | 258 (8.1) | 189 (9.3) | 202 (9.9) | 486 (15.2) | < 0.0001 |
 Atrial fibrillation | 97 (3.0) | 89 (4.4) | 137 (6.7) | 430 (13.5) | < 0.0001 |
Index event, no. (%) | |||||
 Ischemic stroke | 2896 (90.6) | 1872 (91.7) | 1934 (94.8) | 3051 (95.5) | < 0.0001 |
 TIA | 299 (9.4) | 169 (8.3) | 107 (5.2) | 144 (4.5) | < 0.0001 |
Baseline NIHSS, median (IQR) | 3 (1–5) | 3 (1–5) | 4 (2–7) | 4 (2–7) | < 0.0001 |
mRS score before the onset of index events ≥ 2, no. (%) | 212 (6.6) | 161 (7.9) | 185 (9.1) | 362 (11.3) | < 0.0001 |
Leukocyte count (× 109/L), median (IQR) | 6.7 (5.6–8.0) | 6.5 (5.4–8.0) | 7.3 (6.1–8.9) | 7.2 (5.9–8.8) | < 0.0001 |