Table I.
Baseline characteristics of all participants
| Characteristic | |
|---|---|
| Patients (n) | 206 |
| Male (n, %) | 88 (42.7) |
| Mean age (yrs) (sd; range) | 66.3 (10.4; 36 to 89) |
| Married/living together (n, %) | 142 (68.9) |
| Mean body mass index (kg/m2) (sd; range) | 27.5 (5.3; 13.0 to 47.9) |
| Smoker (n, %) | 24 (11.7) |
| Mean cigarettes/day (sd; range) | 10.7 (5.7; 0 to 20) |
| Comorbidities (n, %) | 159 (77.2) |
| Mean number (sd; range) | 1.4 (1.3; 1 to 7) |
| Median number | 1 |
| Angina | 20 (9.7) |
| Ankylosing spondylitis | 9 (4.4) |
| Anxiety-related | 14 (6.8) |
| Asthma | 23 (11.2) |
| Bronchitis | 7 (3.4) |
| Depression-related | 16 (7.8) |
| Diabetes | 22 (10.7) |
| Gastro-intestinal | 25 (12.1) |
| Hypertension | 86 (41.7) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 17 (8.3) |
| Other illness(es) | 46 (22.3) |