Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 401 patients initially presenting with acute dyspnea or peripheral edema
| Variables | All patients | No AHF | AHF | p value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 401) | (n = 279) | (n = 122) | ||
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, mean (range) | 67 (18–96) | 65 (18–96) | 73 (36–96) | 0.0001 |
| Male, n (%) | 205 (51) | 131 (47) | 74 (61) | 0.7 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors, n (%) | ||||
| Arterial hypertension | 268 (67) | 170 (61) | 98 (80) | 0.0001 |
| Hypercholesterinemia | 122 (30) | 207 (74) | 72 (59) | 0.003 |
| Cardiac family history | 132 (33) | 97 (35) | 35 (27) | 0.3 |
| Smoking | 206 (51) | 148 (53) | 58 (48) | 0.3 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 120 (30) | 67 (24) | 53 (43) | 0.0001 |
| Main diagnoses, n (%) | ||||
| Chronic CHF | 143 (36) | 63 (23) | 80 (66) | 0.0001 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 90 (22) | 40 (14) | 50 (41) | 0.0001 |
| Coronary artery disease | 130 (32) | 73 (26) | 57 (47) | 0.0001 |
| Prior myocardial Infarction | 89 (22) | 47 (17) | 42 (34) | 0.0002 |
| Valvular heart disease | 118 (29) | 48 (17) | 70 (57) | 0.0001 |
| Acute exacerbated COPD | 31 (8) | 27 (10) | 4 (3) | 0.03 |
| Acute exacerbated asthma | 7 (2) | 7 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.1 |
| Pneumonia | 20 (5) | 19 (7) | 1 (1) | 0.01 |
| Pulmonary embolism | 12 (3) | 12 (4) | 0 (0) | 0.02 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 71 (17) | 30 (11) | 41 (34) | 0.0001 |
| Cancer | 19 (5) | 19 (7) | 0 (0) | 0.001 |
| Stroke | 10 (2) | 8 (3) | 2 (2) | 0.7 |
| LV EF (%), median (interquartile range) | 41 (30–52) | 50 (40–58) | 39 (27–50) | 0.04 |
| Symptoms and signs, n (%) | ||||
| Peripheral edema | 46 (11) | 42 (15) | 4 (3) | 0.02 |
| Dyspnea | 235 (59) | 183 (66) | 52 (42) | 0.0001 |
| Both peripheral edema and dyspnea | 120 (30) | 54 (19) | 66 (54) | 0.0001 |
*p values for the comparison between AHF and no AHF group