Table 1. Basic demographic differences among the 4 groups in the study.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 71) | (n = 71) | (n = 71) | (n = 71) | |
| Demographic factors | ||||
| Mean age at start of study, years | 62±13 | 57±13 ¶¶ | 60±13 | 65±12 |
| (range) | (30–84) | (22–86) | (38–91) | (32–86) |
| Male, % | 41 | 51 | 49 | 48 |
| Diabetes, % | 32 a | 20 aa | 38 # | 51 |
| Hemodialysis vintage, months | 74±53 | 73±59 | 72±49 | 62±44 |
| Ultrafiltration rate, L/session | 2.7±1.2 | 2.7±0.9 | 2.9±0.9 | 2.8±0.9 |
| Urea reduction rate, % | 73.4±7.6 | 73.4±6.3 | 74.1±6.9 | 73.3±6.5 |
| nPCR, g/day | 1.11±0.27 | 1.21±0.31 | 1.15±0.27 | 1.14±0.29 |
| Pre-HD mean BP, mmHg | 100±16 | 100±17 | 101±14 | 102±18 |
| CCr, mL/min | 5.8±1.8 | 5.7±1.4 | 5.7±1.5 | 6.0±1.9 |
| Clinical comorbidity, % | ||||
| Malignancy | 17 | 11 | 17 | 15 |
| Coronary artery disease | 34 | 25 | 35 | 42 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 24 | 15 | 24 | 38 |
| Congestive heart failure | 20 | 13 | 10 | 25 |
| Others | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| Davies score | 1.4±1.2 | 0.9±1.2 ¶¶ | 1.4±1.3 | 1.9±1.3 |
| Laboratory data | ||||
| Slope of trend equation (range) | −1.01±1.32 (−5.81 to −0.13) | −0.05±1.32** ¶¶ (−0.13 to 0.003) | 0.07±0.06** ¶¶ (0.003 to 0.20) | 1.05±1.56** (0.20 to 0.49) |
| Variation of hs-CRP to albumin ratio* | 4.25±5.66 | 0.45±0.50** ¶¶ | 0.53±0.54** ¶¶ | 4.30±5.80 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.7±0.5 | 4.0±0.3** | 4.1±0.3** ¶ | 3.9±0.4 |
| hs-CRP, mg/L | 20.5±26.3 | 4.0±5.2** | 3.2±4.4** | 8.7±9.6** |
| HgA1C, % | 6.3±1.6 | 5.9±1.4 ¶ | 6.3±1.7 | 6.8±2.0 |
| BUN, mg/dL | 67±17 | 73±18 | 69±16 | 71±19 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 9.7±2.4 | 10.7±2.4 | 10.4±2.5 | 9.7±2.6 |
| Sodium, mEq/L | 137.7±2.9 | 138.7±2.8 | 139.4±3.4* | 138.7±2.8 |
| Potassium, mEq/L | 4.5±1.0 | 4.7±0.8 | 4.8±0.8 | 4.9±1.0 |
| Calcium, mg/dL | 8.9±0.8 | 9.2±0.8 | 9.1±0.7 | 9.1±0.7 |
| Phosphate, mg/dL | 5.1±1.6 | 5.4±1.5 | 5.0±1.4 | 5.2±1.4 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 186±44 | 196±37 | 181±36 | 179±42 |
| Hemoglobin, mg/dL | 9.0±1.8 | 10.0±1.6* | 10.0±1.3* | 9.7±1.4* |
Abbreviations: BW = body weight, nPCR = normalized protein catabolism rate, HD = hemodialysis, BUN = blood urea nitrogen, SD = standard deviation, hs-CRP = high sensitivity C-reactive protein, HgA1C = Hemoglobin A1C
*: standard deviation of hs-CRP to albumin ratios
Statistics:
*:p<0.05, **: p<0.001 vs. group 1 (ANOVA with Bonferroni tests)
§: p<0.05, §§: p<0.001 vs. group 2 (ANOVA with Bonferroni tests)
¶: p<0.05, ¶¶: p<0.001 vs. group 4 (ANOVA with Bonferroni tests)
#:p<0.05, vs. group 2 (Chi-square tests)
a:p<0.05, aa: p<0.001 vs. group 4 (Chi-square tests)