Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the study participants by categories of ECW/TBW.
| Baseline values | Total patients | ECW/TBW ≤48% | ECW/TBW >48% | P-valuea |
| (n = 328) | (n = 209) | (n = 119) | ||
| Age (years) | 59±13 | 55±12 | 65±11 | <0.001b |
| Male (%) | 57.3 | 59.8 | 52.9 | 0.23c |
| Smoking history (%) | 31.7 | 32.1 | 31.1 | 0.86c |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 29.3 | 19.1 | 47.1 | <0.001c |
| Prior CVD (%) | 23.4 | 18.2 | 32.8 | 0.002c |
| Hypertension (%) | 48.2 | 40.6 | 61.3 | <0.001c |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 136±24 | 134±22 | 140±26 | 0.04b |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 76±12 | 76±11 | 76±14 | 0.99b |
| RAAS blockade (%) | 27.1 | 24.9 | 31.1 | 0.22c |
| Calcium channel blocker (%) | 62.2 | 59.8 | 66.4 | 0.31c |
| β-blocker (%) | 32.6 | 32.0 | 33.6 | 0.53c |
| No. of antihypertensives | 2.0±1.3 | 2.0±1.1 | 2.1±1.5 | 0.72b |
| Statin use (%) | 15.9 | 16.3 | 15.1 | 0.79c |
| HD duration (months) | 66±54 | 67±53 | 65±56 | 0.84b |
| Kt/V urea | 2.0±0.6 | 2.0±0.5 | 2.1±0.7 | 0.11b |
| Intradialytic UF (L) | 2.9±0.6 | 2.9±0.7 | 2.8±0.5 | 0.87b |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.6±3.5 | 22.0±3.1 | 23.3±4.1 | 0.02b |
| ECW (L) | 13.0±2.1 | 12.5±2.1 | 13.7±2.0 | <0.001b |
| TBW (L) | 28.4±4.6 | 29.3±4.8 | 26.9±3.9 | <0.001b |
| ECW/TBW (%) | 45.8±5.0 | 42.9±3.4 | 50.9±2.8 | <0.001b |
| Aldosterone (pg/mL) | 184 (97–484) | 215 (99–768) | 166 (95–263) | 0.02d |
| hs-CRP (mg/L) | 3.94 (1.29–7.86) | 3.74 (1.55–6.74) | 4.10 (1.24–8.09) | 0.04d |
| IL-6 (pg/mL) | 2.92 (2.21–7.87) | 2.80 (1.78–5.53) | 4.59 (2.66–9.67) | <0.001d |
| Albumin (g/L) | 39.3±3.5 | 39.9±3.2 | 38.2±3.7 | <0.001b |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 186±33 | 188±32 | 180±35 | 0.16b |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 127±61 | 130±64 | 121±57 | 0.18b |
| Potassium (mmol/L) | 4.01±0.36 | 4.02±0.37 | 3.98±0.37 | 0.28b |
| Calcium (mg/dL) | 9.7±0.7 | 9.8±0.7 | 9.6±0.8 | 0.03b |
| Phosphate (mg/dL) | 5.0±1.4 | 5.2±1.4 | 4.8±1.3 | 0.002b |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 10.5±1.5 | 10.8±1.5 | 9.8±1.4 | <0.001b |
| EPO dose (u/kg/wk) | 66±46 | 55±47 | 87±36 | <0.001b |
| Ferritin (µg/L) | 344 (201–538) | 291 (129–439) | 361 (255–606) | 0.001d |
| Transferrin saturation (%) | 27±13 | 27±13 | 27±14 | 0.77b |
Abbreviations: BMI denotes body mass index; BP, blood pressure; CVD, cardiovascular disease; ECW, extracellular water; ECW/TBW, ratio of extracellular water to total body water; EPO, erythropoietin; HD, hemodialysis; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IL-6, inerleukin-6; RAAS, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; TBW, total body water; UF, ultrafiltration.
a
Comparison between two groups of patients with ECW/TBW ≤48% and >48%.
Statistical analysis by bStudent t-test, cPearson x 2 test, and dMann-Whitney U test.
Prior CVD category consisted of congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease.