Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the patient cohort (n=26).
| Total | ||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 67 (11) | |
| Men, n (%) | 21 (81) | |
| Married/have a partner, n (%) | 20 (77) | |
| Lower educational level (<14 years), n (%) | 15 (58) | |
| Employed, n (%) | 7 (27) | |
| NYHA classa(severity of heart failure), n (%) | ||
| I-II | 24 (92) | |
| III-IV | 2 (8) | |
| Comorbidities (based on self-report), n (%) | ||
| Stroke | 4 (15) | |
| Diabetes | 2 (12) | |
| Aneurism | 1 (4) | |
| Liver disease | 0 (0) | |
| Kidney disease | 0 (0) | |
| Claudicatio intermittens | 0 (0) | |
| COPDb | 3 (12) | |
| Ulcer | 1 (4) | |
| Cancer during last 5 years | 1 (4) | |
| Other | 5 (19) | |
aNYHA: New York Heart Association functional class (III-IV: most severe heart failure).
bCOPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.