Subclinical atherosclerosis is linked to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth via vitamin K2-dependent mechanisms

Table 1 Patients’ baseline characteristics

	Overall	SIBO (n = 12)	no-SIBO (n = 27)	P value
Age	53 (41-60)	55 (41-60)	57 (43-60)	0.306
Sex (males/females)	14 (35.9)/25 (64.1)	2 (16.7)/10 (83.3)	12 (44.4)/15 (55.6)	0.095
Vitamin K2 intake (μg/d)	29.5 (8-103.6)	21.2 (8-49.7)	31.9 (10.5-103.6)	0.111
	Males: 25.7 (8-103.6)
	Females 29.6 (10.4-91.8)
Framingham risk score	5.4 (2-8)	5.5 (2-7)	5.2 (2-8)	0.897
	Males: 5.8 (2-8)
	Females: 6.9 (0-8)

Data are expressed as median (range) or frequency (%). Comparisons have been performed between SIBO and no-SIBO group. Framingham score was built on age, sex, race, arterial pressure, smoking, diabetes, total blood cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol. SIBO: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Table 2 Comparison of circulating levels of dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein and ultrasound parameters (pulse-wave velocity, intima-media thickness, and vascular calcifications) in patients with or without small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

	Overall	SIBO (n = 12)	no-SIBO (n = 27)	P value
dp-ucMGP (μg/L)	4.73 (1.75-23.8)	9.5 (3.6-23.8)	4.2 (1.75-14.5)	0.004a
PWV (m/s)	8.5 (5.7-14)	10.25 (5.7-14)	7.68 (5.6-11)	0.002a
IMT (μm)	661 (467-1009)	596 (467-1009)	663 (506-932)	0.465
Calcifications	16 (41)	6 (50)	10 (37)	0.609

Data are expressed as median (range) or frequency (%), significant comparisons (^aP < 0.05). SIBO: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth; dp-ucMGP: Dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein; PWV: Pulse-wave velocity; IMT: Intima-media thickness.