*Statistical Analysis*

Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistica 13.0 software (StatSoft, Tulsa, OK, USA). The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the distribution of data. Mann–Whitney's U test was performed to analyze quantitative. *X*<sup>2</sup> test was applied for qualitative data; the Yates correction was used if the subgroup size was insufficient. Correlation analysis was performed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The multivariable logistic regression model analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the analyzed parameters. It was corrected for potentially distorting data (gender, age, dyslipidemia, diagnosed hypertension, and cigarette smoking). Differences were deemed statistically significant at *p* ≤ 0.05.
