Table 2. Patients’ Characteristics at Making PEG Stratified by the Level of Independent Living of Demented Elderly.
| Variable | Total (N = 879) | Improved (N = 75) | Not improved (N = 804) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) mean ± s.d. | 81.8 ± 9.4 | 79.5 ± 13.0 | 82.0 ± 8.9 | 0.02*1 |
| Body Temperature (°C) mean ± s.d. | 36.8 ± 0.6 | 36.8 ± 0.5 | 36.8 ± 0.6 | 0.68*1 |
| WBC ( /uL) | 7026 ± 2567 | 7354 ± 2593 | 6995 ± 2564 | 0.12*2 |
| CRP (mg/dL) | 1.86 ± 2.40 | 1.81 ± 2.10 | 1.87 ± 2.42 | 0.73*2 |
| Hb (g/dL) | 11.1 ± 1.9 | 11.2 ± 1.9 | 11.1 ± 1.9 | 0.49*2 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 29.8 ± 26.5 | 25.8 ± 12.5 | 30.2 ± 27.4 | 0.46*2 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 21.6 ± 13.7 | 20.7 ± 12.2 | 21.8 ± 14.1 | 0.60*2 |
| Cr (mg/dL) | 0.84 ± 1.15 | 0.80 ± 0.86 | 0.85 ± 1.21 | 0.05*2 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.01 ± 0.57 | 3.03 ± 0.58 | 3.01 ± 0.55 | 0.88*2 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 157.2 ± 40.8 | 162.3 ± 38.6 | 156.0 ± 41.2 | 0.58*2 |
| male | 359 (41%) | 32 (43%) | 327 (40%) | 0.70*3 |
| Previous history of pneumonia | 587 (68%) | 50 (68%) | 537 (68%) | 0.94*3 |
| Hypertension | 348 (40%) | 35 (47%) | 313 (39%) | 0.18*3 |
| Dyslipidemia | 77 (9%) | 9 (13%) | 68 (9%) | 0.28*3 |
| Arteriosclerosis obliterans | 31 (3.7%) | 5 (6.9%) | 26 (3.4%) | 0.14*3 |
| Able to take perorally | 324 (37%) | 31 (41%) | 293 (37%) | 0.44*3 |
| Diabetes | 124 (14%) | 11 (15%) | 113 (14%) | 0.90*3 |
| Previous history of cardiovascular disease | 134 (16%) | 12 (16%) | 122 (16%) | 0.91*3 |
| Extremely poor nutritional status | 170 (20%) | 16 (22%) | 154 (19%) | 0.66*3 |
| Fasting period prior to operation | 0.72*3 | |||
| None | 189 (28%) | 12 (25%) | 177 (29%) | |
| Within one week | 292 (44%) | 24 (50%) | 268 (43%) | |
| Within one month | 177 (27%) | 12 (25%) | 165 (27%) | |
| More than one month | 8 (1.2%) | 0 (0%) | 8 (1.3%) | |
| Alzheimer’s dementia | 292 (33%) | 27 (36%) | 265 (33%) | 0.56*3 |
| Cerebrovascular dementia | 554 (63%) | 43 (57%) | 511 (63%) | 0.33*3 |
| Dementia with Lewy bodies | 15 (1.7%) | 1 (1.3%) | 14 (1.7%) | 0.80*3 |
*1. Student’s t-test was applied because the distribution was considered as normal. *2. Mann-Whitney U test was applied because the distribution was considered as not normal. *3. Chi-square test was applied.