Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics.
| Diabetes | No diabetes | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients, (%) | 81 (22) | 290 (78) | |
| Age (years), mean±SD | 67.9±8.0 | 67.7±8.0 | 0.83 |
| Female sex, n (%) | 24 (29) | 60 (21) | 0.099 |
| Heart rate (beats/min), mean±SD | 81±13 | 81±15 | 0.93 |
| Weight (kg), mean±SD | 77.4±13.3 | 74.2±12.0 | 0.04 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean±SD | 128±21 | 123±17 | 0.053 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean±SD | 76±9 | 76±9 | 0.98 |
| NYHA class III, n (%) | 54 (67) | 199 (69) | 0.79 |
| NYHA class >III, n (%) | 27 (33) | 91 (31) | |
| Duration of heart failure (years), mean±SD | 4.2±3.3 | 3.7±3.4 | 0.29 |
| Aetiology myocardial infarction, n (%) | 59 (74) | 220 (76) | 0.66 |
| Aetiology hypertension, n (%) | 4 (4.3) | 14 (4.8) | 1.0 |
| Aetiology cardiomyopathy, n (%) | 13 (16) | 48 (17) | 1.0 |
| AF, n (%) | 17 (21) | 61 (21) | 1.0 |
| LVEF (%), mean±SD | 23.7±8.0 | 23.2±7.4 | 0.58 |
| Plasma laboratory values | |||
| - Sodium (mmol/l), mean±SD | 138±3.6 | 139±3.4 | 0.14 |
| - Potassium (mmol/l), mean±SD | 4.2±0.6 | 4.2±0.5 | 0.42 |
| - Creatinine (μmol/l), mean±SD | 116±31 | 119±39 | 0.53 |
| - Estimated GFR, mean±SD | 62.2±25.4 | 58.9±21.6 | 0.31 |
| - Urea (mmol/l), mean±SD | 10.0±4.2 | 9.6±4.6 | 0.47 |
| Medication | |||
| - ACE inhibitor, n (%) | 75 (93) | 276 (95) | 0.40 |
| - β-blocker, n (%) | 5 (6.2) | 28 (9.7) | 0.39 |
| - Digoxin, n (%) | 56 (69) | 164 (57) | 0.055 |
| - Diuretics, n (%) | 80 (99) | 288 (99) | 0.52 |
| - Calcium channel blockers, n (%) | 6 (7.4) | 19 (6.6) | 0.80 |
| - Nitrates, n (%) | 39 (48) | 147 (51) | 0.71 |
| - Anticoagulant (coumarin), n (%) | 54 (67) | 210 (72) | 0.33 |
| - Antiplatelet agents, n (%) | 11 (14) | 50 (17) | 0.50 |
| - Antiarrhythmics, n (%) | 11 (14) | 58 (20) | 0.26 |
AF=atrial fibrillation, LVEF=left ventricular ejection fraction, GFR=glomerular filtration rate.