Table 1. Clinical characteristics of patients of the hsTnT falling, stable or rising groups.
| Variable | Overall (n = 404) | Falling group (n = 190) | Stable group (n = 146) | Rising group (n = 68) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 76.1±11.8 | 74.3±12.4 | 76.9±11.7 | 79.1±9.8* | 0.009 |
| Males | 253 (63%) | 121 (64%) | 91 (62%) | 41 (60%) | 0.88 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23.2±4.2 | 23.5±4.5 | 22.8±3.8 | 23.2±4.1 | 0.29 |
| Hypertension | 282 (70%) | 129 (68%) | 99 (68%) | 54 (79%) | 0.17 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 146 (36%) | 70 (37%) | 50 (34%) | 26 (38%) | 0.82 |
| Dyslipidemia | 210 (52%) | 92 (48%) | 83 (57%) | 35 (52%) | 0.31 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 240 (59%) | 106 (56%) | 88 (60%) | 46 (68%) | 0.24 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 204 (51%) | 79 (42%) | 84 (58%) * | 41 (60%) * | 0.003 |
| Prior HF hospitalization | 202 (50%) | 77 (41%) | 85 (58%) * | 40 (59%) * | 0.002 |
| Ischemic etiology | 85 (21%) | 44 (23%) | 24 (16%) | 17 (25%) | 0.22 |
| Use of inotropic agents | 61 (15%) | 31 (16%) | 21 (14%) | 9 (13%) | 0.79 |
| Use of carpertide | 171 (42%) | 88 (46%) | 57 (39%) | 26 (38%) | 0.31 |
| LVEF (%) | 37.7±16.9 | 35.8±16.9 | 39.8±16.5 | 38.5±17.5 | 0.12 |
| Duration of hospitalization (days) | 20 (14–28) | 20 (15–27) | 19 (13–28) | 20 (13–30) | 0.41 |
| Clinical signs on admission | |||||
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 137±32 | 140±33 | 135±31 | 135±28 | 0.35 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 79±21 | 82±22 | 76±21 * | 76±20 * | 0.03 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 90±28 | 94±30 | 86±27 * | 86±25 * | 0.01 |
| Medications on admission | |||||
| Loop diuretics | 245 (61%) | 100 (53%) | 100 (69%) * | 45 (66%) | 0.008 |
| β-blockers | 218 (54%) | 93 (49%) | 85 (58%) | 40 (59%) | 0.16 |
| ACE-I or ARB | 215 (53%) | 90 (47%) | 83 (57%) | 42 (62%) | 0.07 |
| Aldosterone antagonists | 103 (26%) | 40 (21%) | 47 (32%) | 16 (24%) | 0.06 |
| Laboratory data on admission | |||||
| Plasma BNP (pg/ml) | 600 [335–1154] | 677 [365–1289] | 549 [320–899] * | 522 [328–865] | 0.047 |
| Serum hsTnT (ng/ml) | 0.038 [0.026–0.065] | 0.048 [0.031–0.088] | 0.034 [0.022–0.049] * | 0.029 [0.022–0.046] * | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 11.8±2.2 | 12.2±2.3 | 11.6±2.0 * | 11.4±1.9 * | 0.01 |
| Serum sodium (mEq/L) | 140±4 | 140±5 | 140±4 | 139±5 | 0.56 |
| Estimated GFR (ml/min/1.73 m2) | 44.5±21.2 | 43.5±19.4 | 45.9±20.7 | 44.5±26.5 | 0.57 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/ml) | 1.43±0.95 | 1.51±1.15 | 1.31±0.64 | 1.43±0.87 | 0.16 |
| Total-bilirubin (mg/ml) | 0.92±0.66 | 0.92±0.71 | 0.95±0.65 | 0.83±0.53 | 0.44 |
| hs-CRP (mg/dl) | 0.45 [0.14–1.25] | 0.45 [0.13–1.70] | 0.49 [0.17–1.13] | 0.35 [0.14–0.97] | 0.81 |
| Change of laboratory data | |||||
| Changes in hsTnT (ng/ml) | -0.004 [-0.017–0.002] | -0.018 [-0.000- -0.013] | 0.000 [-0.002–0.002] * | 0.013 [0.007–0.028] * | <0.001 |
| Changes in hsTnT (%) | -12.0 [-39.8–7.4] | -41.1 [-58.8- -24.8] | 0.0 [-6.7–6.5] * | 38.2 [22.9–56.0] * | <0.001 |
| Changes in BNP (pg/ml) | -301 [–674– –123] | -410 [–951– –157] | -247 [–579– –96] * | -237 [–464– –58] * | <0.001 |
| Changes in BNP (%) | -59.1 [-76.3- -33.7] | -67.0 [-78.8- -44.5] | -52.9 [-72.7- -30.4] * | -44.0 [-71.2- -19.2] * | <0.001 |
| Changes in creatinine (mg/ml) | 0.04 [-0.11–0.19] | 0.01 [-0.02–0.15] | 0.06 [-0.08–0.20] * | 0.09 [-0.02–0.29] * | 0.002 |
| Changes in creatinine (%) | 4.2 [-9.5–17.9] | 1.0 [-12.4–14.7] | 6.4 [-7.2–20.5] * | 8.5 [-1.4–24.6] * | 0.001 |
| Increase in BNP¶ | 35 (9%) | 11 (6%) | 13 (9%) | 11 (16%)* | 0.04 |
| Increase in creatinine§ | 247 (61%) | 99 (52%) | 100 (69%) * | 48 (71%) * | 0.002 |
Data are mean±SD, number of patients (%), or median [interquartile range]
* P<0.05 vs. falling group
¶ Changes in BNP level of ≥0 pg/ml
§ Changes in creatinine level of ≥0 mg/ml
ACE-I = angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, ARB = angiotensin II receptor blocker, BNP = B-type natriuretic peptide, hsTnT = high sensitivity cardiac troponin T, HF = heart failure, hs-CRP = high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, GFR = glomerular filtration rate, LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction