Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
| Variable | Men (n = 212) | Women (n = 45) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 64.9 (54.8–72.1) | 57.7 (47.3–66.9) | 0.003 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 140 (66.0%) | 12 (26.7%) | <0.001 |
| Non-ischemic heart disease | 46 (21.7%) | 22 (48.9%) | <0.001 |
| Ventricular arrhythmia of unclear cause | 26 (12.3%) | 11 (24.4%) | 0.035 |
| Presenting ventricular arrhythmia | 0.651 | ||
| VF | 144 (67.9%) | 29 (64.4%) | |
| Sustained VT | 68 (32.1%) | 16 (35.6%) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.5 (24.5–29.2) | 27.0 (23.9–34.8) | 0.423 |
| NYHA class | 1.000 | ||
| I or II | 147 (69.3%) | 28 (62.2%) | |
| III or IV | 25 (11.8%) | 5 (11.1%) | |
| Medical history | |||
| Myocardial infarction | 126 (59.4%) | 11 (24.4%) | <0.001 |
| DM | 40 (18.9%) | 8 (17.8%) | 0.865 |
| Syncope | 18 (8.5%) | 6 (13.3%) | 0.394 |
| Prior heart surgery | 65 (30.7%) | 1 (2.2%) | <0.001 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 74 (34.9%) | 12 (26.7%) | 0.287 |
| Non-sustained VT | 40 (18.9%) | 7 (15.6%) | 0.602 |
| CAD | 145 (68.4%) | 12 (26.7%) | <0.001 |
| Echocardiography | |||
| LVEF (%) | 43 (34–53) | 47 (35–58) | 0.129 |
| Electrocardiography | |||
| Rhythm | 0.024 | ||
| Sinus rhythm | 179 (84.4%) | 42 (93.3%) | |
| Atrial fibrillation | 27 (12.7%) | 1 (2.2%) | |
| Atrial flutter | 2 (0.9%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Pacemaker | 1 (0.5%) | 2 (4.4%) | |
| QRS fragmentation † | 79 (37.3%) | 11 (24.4%) | 0.214 |
| Laboratory values | |||
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 76 ± 23 | 83 ± 24 | 0.101 |
| Medication at baseline | |||
| ACE-I/ARB | 99 (46.7%) | 14 (31.1%) | 0.117 |
| β-blocker | 106 (50.0%) | 19 (42.2%) | 0.606 |
| Calcium antagonist | 39 (18.4%) | 4 (8.9%) | 0.166 |
| Diuretic | 50 (23.6%) | 6 (13.3%) | 0.191 |
| Statin | 100 (47.2%) | 11 (24.4%) | 0.012 |
| MRA | 19 (9.0%) | 3 (6.7%) | 1.000 |
| Class 3 antiarrhythmic drugs | 13 (6.1%) | 2 (4.4%) | 1.000 |
| Digoxin | 8 (3.8%) | 1 (2.2%) | 1.000 |
Data are given as n (%) in case the data are categorical, median with interquartile range (IQR) when the data are continuous and the distribution is skewed, and mean with standard deviation (SD) when the data are continuous and normally distributed. The presented numbers sometimes do not add up to a total of 100% because of missing data. The given p-values are a reflection of the difference between women and men. p-values < 0.05 are presented in bold. ACE-I, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI, body mass index; CAD, coronary artery disease; DM, diabetes mellitus; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MRA, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; NYHA, New York Heart Association; VF, ventricular fibrillation; VT, ventricular tachycardia. † QRS complex could be fragmented, unfragmented or broad (>120 ms).