Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| COPD (n = 105) | CHF (n = 80) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender (male), n (%) | 65 (61.9%) | 54 (67.5%) |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 66.3 (9.2)* | 76.2 (8.3) |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD)# | 26.3 (6.7)* | 28.6 (5.6) |
| Marital status (married/living with partner), n (%) | 78 (74.3%)* | 45 (56.3%) |
| Current smokers, n (%) | 26 (24.8%)* | 11 (13.8%) |
| FEV1 (% predicted), mean (SD)# | 34.1 (13.5)* | 75.5 (24.5) |
| Charlson index (pts), mean (SD) | 2.5 (1.7)* | 4.4 (2.0) |
| Long-term oxygen therapy, n (%) | 62 (59.0%)* | 10 (12.5%) |
| Need for professional caregiver, n (%) | 23 (21.9%)* | 32 (40.0%) |
| Family caregiver, n (%) | 90 (85.7%) | 61 (76.3%) |
| Number of symptoms, mean (SD) | 8.1 (3.7) | 9.1 (3.5) |
| Borg scale (points), mean (SD) | 4.8 (2.0)* | 4.0 (2.5) |
| HADS-A score (points), mean (SD) | 5.9 (4.5) | 5.6 (4.3) |
| HADS-D score (points), mean (SD) | 6.3 (4.0) | 6.9 (4.0) |
| Number of physician-prescribed drugs, mean (SD)# | 8.5 (3.9)* | 10.8 (3.7) |
Abbreviations: Body Mass Index (BMI); Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Chronic Heart Failure (CHF); Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV 1); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety subscale (HADS-A); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Depression subscale (HADS-D)
* P < 0.05; # non-parametric statistical tests were used because of skewed data