Baseline characteristics of the patients.

<p>Continuous variables are expressed in median (interquartile range), unless indicated. Categorical variables are expressed in no. (%).</p><p>cIMT, carotid intima-media thickness; FMD, flow-mediated dilatation; hsCRP, highly-sensitive C-reactive protein; VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1; ICAM-1, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1; IL-6, interleukin-6; MDA, malondialdehyde; TNF-α, tumour necrosis factor-alpha; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; HSV-1, herpes simplex virus type-1; VZV, varicella zoster virus; HHV-6, human herpesvirus 6; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; CMV, cytomegalovirus; IQR, interquartile range; AU, absorbance units.