Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population.
| Clinical characteristic | Population (n=208) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | 69.9±15.0 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23.8±4.4 |
| BNP <200 pg/ml before treatment | AQ:Table 1: 17/208 does not equal 8.5%: please amend or clarify. Also, please delete or clarify the minus sign within the percentage brackets.17 (8.2)a |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 1.6±1.7 |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 40.9±15.9 |
| Male/female ( n/n, % female) | 148/60 (28.8) |
| Recovery period of BNP (days) | 42.4±56.7 |
| Underlying heart disease | |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 54 (26.0) |
| Hypertension | 50 (24.0) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 34 (16.3) |
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | 31 (14.9) |
| Valvular heart disease | 18 (8.7) |
| Other myocardiopathyb | 10 (4.8) |
| Complete atrioventricular block | 5 (2.4) |
| Congenital heart disease | 4 (1.9) |
| Constrictive pericarditis | 2 (1.0) |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 70 (33.7) |
| Type 2 diabetes mellitus | 67 (32.2) |
| Drugs | |
| ACE/ARB | 182 (87.5) |
| Beta-blocker | 115 (55.3) |
| Ca-blocker | 105 (50.5) |
| Digoxin | 39 (18.8) |
| Diuretics | 187 (89.9) |
| Statins | 50 (24.0) |
Values are n (%) or mean±SD, unless otherwise stated.
a
Mean±SD BNP in these patients was 142.4±52.4 pg/ml.
b
Other includes patients with chest pain syndrome, pre-operating checks, or others.
ACE/ARB, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker; BNP, B-type natriuretic peptide.