Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population (n = 49)
| Patient characteristic | Total group (n = 49) | Patient subgroup | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ischaemic HF (n = 25) | Non-ischaemic HF (n = 24) | p value | ||
| Age (years) | 64 ± 9 | 66 ± 9 | 62 ± 8 | 0.08 |
| Sex (male) | 37 (76 %) | 21 (84 %) | 16 (67 %) | 0.16 |
| Height (cm) | 176 ± 9 | 175 ± 8 | 176 ± 10 | 0.73 |
| Weight (kg) | 85 ± 14 | 84 ± 13 | 87 ± 14 | 0.36 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | ||||
| Diabetes mellitusa | 8 (16 %) | 4 (16 %) | 4 (17 %) | 0.95 |
| Obesity, BMI ≥ 30 (kg/m2) | 7 (14 %) | 2 (8 %) | 5 (21 %) | 0.20 |
| Family history of CVDb | 19 (39 %) | 9 (36 %) | 10 (42 %) | 0.68 |
| Hypercholesterolaemiac | 27 (55 %) | 16 (64 %) | 11 (46 %) | 0.20 |
| Hypertensiond | 30 (61 %) | 13 (52 %) | 17 (71 %) | 0.18 |
| Current smoker | 8 (16 %) | 4 (16 %) | 4 (17 %) | 0.95 |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 31 (IQR 25-38) | 28 (IQR 23-35) | 33 (IQR 29-40) | 0.04 |
| CRT-D/ICD therapy | 31 (63 %) | 17 (68 %) | 14 (58 %) | 0.48 |
| Medication | ||||
| ACE/AT-II inhibitor | 45 (92 %) | 23 (92 %) | 22 (92 %) | 0.97 |
| Beta blocker | 39 (80 %) | 20 (80 %) | 19 (79 %) | 0.94 |
| Calcium antagonist | 3 (6 %) | 2 (8 %) | 1 (4 %) | 0.58 |
| Lipid-lowering agent | 35 (71 %) | 20 (80 %) | 15 (63 %) | 0.18 |
| Antiplatelet/OAC therapy | 42 (86 %) | 24 (96 %) | 18 (75 %) | 0.04 |
| Diuretics | 38 (78 %) | 22 (88 %) | 16 (67 %) | 0.07 |
| Oral antidiabetics | 8 (16 %) | 4 (16 %) | 4 (17 %) | 0.95 |
| Insulin | 3 (6 %) | 1 (4 %) | 2 (8 %) | 0.53 |
| Nitrates | 3 (6 %) | 3 (12 %) | 0 (0 %) | 0.08 |
| NYHA class | 0.28 | |||
| I | 11 (22.45 %) | 7 (28.0 %) | 4 (16.7 %) | |
| II | 27 (55.1 %) | 11 (44.0 %) | 16 (66.6 %) | |
| III | 11 (22.45 %) | 7 (28.0 %) | 4 (16.7 %) | |
| NT-proBNP (pg/l) | 771 (IQR 428–1,264) | 900 (IQR 451–1,487) | 716 (IQR 331–1,244) | 0.34 |
ACE angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, AT-II angiotensin II, BMI body mass index, CRT-D cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator, CVD cardiovascular disease, HF heart failure, ICD implantable cardioverter defibrillator, IQR interquartile range, NT-proBNP N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, NYHA New York Heart Association, OAC oral anticoagulant
aSelf-reported history of diabetes mellitus and/or treatment with antidiabetics
bPresence of coronary artery disease in first-degree family members at age <55 years in men and <65 years in women
cSelf-reported history of hypercholesterolaemia and/or treatment with lipid-lowering drugs
dSelf-reported history of hypertension and/or use of antihypertensive medication or a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg