Table 1. Demographic and clinical profile characteristics of the cohort.
| Variable | All (n = 285) | Men (n = 150) | Women (n = 135) | p-value |
| Socio-demographic variables | ||||
| Age (years) | 60.0 ± 13.2 | 57.0 (13.6) | 55.6 (17.3) | 0.382 |
| Age > 60 years (%) | 46.3 | 48.7 | 43.7 | 0.425 |
| No education | 98 (34.4) | 39 (26.0) | 59 (43.7) | 0.028 |
| Married (%) | 156 (67.8) | 92 (73.0) | 64 (61.0) | 0.014 |
| Unemployed | 7 (2.3) | 1 (0.6) | 6 (4.2) | 0.007 |
| Urban residence | 216 (75.8) | 113 (75.3) | 103 (76.5) | 0.389 |
| Risk factors and co-morbidities | ||||
| Never smoked cigarettes | 233 (81.8) | 103 (68.7) | 103 (96.3) | < 0.001 |
| Current alcohol use | 17 (6.0) | 14 (9.3) | 3 (2.2) | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 37 (13.0) | 19 (12.7) | 18 (13.3) | 0.735 |
| Hypertension | 232 (81.4) | 128 (85.3) | 134 (77) | 0.103 |
| COPD | 20 (7.0) | 11 (7.3) | 9 (6.7) | 0.923 |
| Family history of heart disease | 25 (8.8) | 9 (6.0) | 16 (11.9) | 0.240 |
| Clinical/laboratory parameters | ||||
| NYHA class | ||||
| Class II | 24 (8.4) | 16 (10.7) | 8 (5.9) | 0.212 |
| Class III | 215 (75.4) | 107 (71.3) | 108 (80.0) | |
| Class IV | 46 (16.1) | 27 (18.0) | 19 (14.1) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.2 ± 5.7 | 24.1 (5.0) | 23.7 (5.5) | 0.527 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 131.9 ± 25.1 | 137.9 (30.0) | 133.3 (27.9) | 0.253 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 85.4 ± 15.9 | 89.0 (19.6) | 85.3 (17.1) | 0.156 |
| Pulse pressure (mmHg) | 46.5 ± 15.7 | 49.0 (19.0) | 47.7 (16.6) | 0.527 |
| Respiratory rate (cycles/min) | 30.2 ± 6.5 | 28.5 ± 6.4 | 27.9 ± 6.7 | 0.541 |
| Pulse rate (bpm) | 95.9 ± 16.7 | 96.2 ± 18.2 | 96.3 ± 17.8 | 0.527 |
| Packed cell volume (%) | 35.9 ± 7.8 | 37.5 ± 7.2 | 36.8 ± 7.7 | 0.541 |
| Total white blood cell count (× 109 cells/l) | 6.4 ± 2.9 | 7.3 ± 3.7 | 7.4 ± 3.8 | 0.933 |
| Serum sodium (mmol/l) | 136.5 ± 6.4 | 135.9 ± 6.7 | 136.3 ± 6.1 | 0.134 |
| Serum potassium (mmol/l) | 3.7 ± 0.8 | 3.7 ± 0.8 | 3.6 ± 0.8 | 0.461 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 162.5 ± 53.3 | 157.7 ± 84.0 | 181.2 ± 64.6 | 0.213 |
| Serum glucose (mg/dl) | 111.7 ± 53.2 | 115.6 ± 50.6 | 114.0 ± 58.5 | 0.845 |
| Serum urea (mg/dl)* | 38.5 ± 30.0 | 50.5 ± 51.4 | 36.1 ± 29.7 | 0.020 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dl)* | 1.8 ± 0.4 | 1.7 ± 2.5 | 1.2 ± 1.4 | 0.093 |
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.