Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and controls.
| ALS patients (N = 35) | Controls (N = 34) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (y), mean ± SD | 69.54 ± 10.64 | 68.06 ± 9.59 |
| Females, n (%) | 18 (51.4) | 18 (52.9) |
| Arterial hypertension, n (%) | 16 (45.7) | 11 (32.4) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 7 (20) | 1 (3) |
| Body mass index mean ± SD (kg/m2) | 25.0 ± 5.3 | 25.8 ± 4.2 |
| ALS functional rating scale, points | 32.4 ± 8.5 | – |
| Forced vital capacity, % | 66.11 ± 25.30 | – |
| Spinal/bulbar, n | 23/12 | – |
| Creatine kinase (norm <171), U/l | 244 ± 266 | – |
| Myocardial creatine kinase (norm <25), U/l | 24 ± 14 | – |
| Troponin T (norm <14), ng/l | 0 ± 0 | – |
| N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (norm 0–125), pg/ml | 149 ± 206 | – |
| Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin 1 receptor blockers, n | 10/35 | – |
| Beta-blocker, n | 8/35 | – |
| Other antihypertensive medication, n | 4/35 | – |
| AVB grade II, n | 0 | – |
| Atrial fibrillation, n | 0 | – |
| Supraventricular tachycardia, n | 0 | – |
| NSVT, n | 0 | – |
| VCP/h (0–100), n | 20/26 | – |
NSVT, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia; AVB, atrioventricular block; VPC/h, ventricular premature contractions/hour.