Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the 2 study groups:
| Characteristics at baseline | AC group (N= 35) | ET group (N=31) | P-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 70.1 ± 5.6 | 68.0 ± 4.8 | 0.099 |
| Men | 13 (37.1) | 11 (35.5) | > 0.9 |
| Caucasians | 28 (80) | 27 (87) | 0.521 |
| Body Weight, kg | 77.7 ± 14.6 | 81.9 ± 14.7 | 0.242 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, | 28.6± 6.1 | 29.4±5.4 | 0.555 |
| Body surface area, m2 | 1.87 ± 0.20 | 1.93 ± 0.19 | 0.231 |
| Heart Rate | 71.9 ± 10.5 | 76.7 ± 14.5 | 0.132 |
| Systolic Blood Pressure, mmHg | 150.6 ± 19.9 | 143.0 ± 18.3 | 0.116 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 78.7 ±8.3 | 81.5 ± 9.0 | 0.208 |
| Pulse pressure, mmHg | 71.9 ± 16.2 | 61.5 ± 16.2 | 0.013 |
| History of diabetes | 10 (28.6) | 5 (16.1) | 0.256 |
| History of pulmonary edema | 15 (42.9) | 8 (25.8) | 0.198 |
| Beta blockers use | 4 (11.4) | 6 (19.3) | 0.497 |
| Calcium channel blockers use | 12 (34.3) | 9 (29.0) | 0.792 |
| Digoxin use | 12 (34.3) | 9 (29.0) | 0.792 |
| ACE-inhibitors use | 17 (48.6) | 14 (45.2) | 0.810 |
| Exercise peak oxygen uptake, ml/kg/min | 12.9 ± 2.6 | 14.0 ± 2.7 | 0.11 |
| Exercise peak work load, watts | 47.9 ± 16.5 | 53.6 ± 18.6 | 0.189 |
| Exercise time, min | 6.3 ± 2.8 | 7.1 ± 3.2 | 0.172 |
| HRR at 1 minute, beat/min | 20.0 ± 11.8 | 26.3 ± 13.6 | 0.065 |
| SDNN, ms | 30.2 ± 17.7 | 31.6 ± 21.0 | 0.776 |
| RMSSD, ms | 20.4 ± 15.5 | 24.7 ± 24.7 | 0.406 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction >40% | 20 (57.1) | 17 (54.8) | 1.0 |
| NYHA Class II | 21 (60) | 19 (61.3) | > 0.9 |
| NYHA Class III | 14 (37.1) | 12 (38.7) | > 0.9 |
Values are mean ± SD or number (%). AC =attention control; ET = exercise training; ACE = angiotensin converting enzyme; HRV = heart rate variability; SDNN = the standard deviation of all normal RR intervals; RMSSD = the root mean square of successive differences in normal RR intervals; NYHA = New York heart association.