Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study population stratified by a ghrelin median split
| Ghrelin at baseline no. of subjects | Total (n = 62) | Low ghrelin (n = 31) | High ghrelin (n = 31) | P‐value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years) | 64.4 ± 7.2 | 63.2 ± 7.5 | 65.6 ± 6.7 | 0.17 |
| Sex (female) | 36 (58) | 11 (35) | 25 (81) | 0.001 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 64 ± 10 | 66 ± 11 | 62 ± 9 | 0.20 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 150 ± 21 | 149 ± 21 | 150 ± 21 | 0.91 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 85 ± 11 | 84 ± 12 | 87 ± 10 | 0.22 |
| Waist (cm) | 99 ± 13 | 104 ± 12 | 94 ± 13 | 0.004 |
| New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class | 0.73 | |||
| II | 52 (84) | 25 (81) | 27 (87) | |
| III | 10 (16) | 6 (19) | 4 (13) | |
| Risk factors | ||||
| Arterial hypertension | 54 (87) | 26 (84) | 28 (90) | 0.71 |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 29 (47) | 15 (48) | 14 (45) | 1.00 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 9 (15) | 4 (13) | 5 (16) | 1.00 |
| Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) | 32 (52) | 21 (68) | 11 (35) | 0.021 |
| (BMI > 25 kg/m2) | 55 (89) | 28 (90) | 27 (87) | 1.00 |
| Abnormal waist (>102 cm (male); >88 cm (female)) | 38 (61) | 19 (61) | 19 (61) | 1.00 |
| Smoker | 6 (10) | 4 (13) | 2 (6) | 0.67 |
| Cardiac structure and function | ||||
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (%) | 67 ± 7 | 67 ± 7 | 68 ± 6 | 0.40 |
| Left atrial volumen index (LAVI) (mL/m2) | 27.7 ± 8.0 | 29.1 ± 8.8 | 26.2 ± 7.1 | 0.16 |
| Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (g/m2) | 134.1 ± 34.2 | 132.8 ± 33.7 | 135.4 ± 35.2 | 0.77 |
| E/e′ lateral | 9.7 ± 2.8 | 9.8 ± 2.9 | 9.5 ± 2.8 | 0.70 |
| E/e′ medial | 12.9 ± 3.7 | 13.1 ± 4.1 | 12.7 ± 3.2 | 0.69 |
| e′ lateral (mm) | 7.5 ± 2.0 | 7.5 ± 2.1 | 7.5 ± 1.9 | 1.00 |
| e′ medial (mm) | 5.6 ± 1.3 | 5.6 ± 1.2 | 5.5 ± 1.5 | 0.92 |
| VO2 max | 16.2 ± 4.8 | 16.3 ± 5.2 | 16.0 ± 4.5 | 0.84 |
| Watt max | 114 ± 37 | 123 ± 41 | 105 ± 31 | 0.07 |
| 6MWD (m) | 544 ± 88 | 546 ± 101 | 543 ± 74 | 0.89 |
| Laboratory | ||||
| Haemoglobin (mmol/L) | 8.9 (8.3–9.5) | 9.2 (8.8–9.6) | 8.6 (8.3–9.2) | 0.11 |
| NT‐proBNP (pg/mL) | 124 (78–183) | 118 (62–157) | 128 (80–210) | 0.11 |
| Sens. CRP (mg/L) | 1.83 (0.93–3.63) | 1.85 (0.78–3.71) | 1.82 (0.98–3.04) | 0.56 |
| Treatment | ||||
| Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi)/Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB) | 41 (67) | 19 (63) | 22 (71) | 0.59 |
| β‐Blocker | 31 (51) | 17 (57) | 14 (45) | 0.45 |
| Mineralcorticoid Receptor Antagonist (MRB) | 2 (3) | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 1.00 |
| Diuretic | 26 (43) | 13 (43) | 13 (42) | 1.00 |
| Lipid lowering drug | 16 (26) | 10 (33) | 6 (19) | 0.25 |
| Uric acid lowering drug | 6 (10) | 3 (10) | 3 (10) | 1.00 |
| Quality of life | ||||
| SF‐36 physical sum score | 42.8 ± 9.7 | 44.2 ± 9.3 | 41.3 ± 10.0 | 0.26 |
| SF‐36 mental sum score | 49.5 ± 10.6 | 48.8 ± 10.7 | 50.3 ± 10.6 | 0.61 |
| SF‐36 physical functioning scale | 66.8 ± 21.0 | 68.9 ± 19.7 | 64.6 ± 22.4 | 0.43 |
| Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) sum score | 6.2 ± 5.6 | 6.6 ± 6.1 | 5.8 ± 5.1 | 0.62 |
BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure.
Values are n (%), mean ± SD, or median (interquartile range) tests are χ 2 for index or nominal variables tauB for ordinal and analysis of variance for metric measurements.