Table 1. Baseline characteristics by treatment group.
| Characteristic | Control (n = 17) | Pentoxifylline (n = 15) |
|---|---|---|
| Age at randomization (year) | 65.1±15.8 | 58.7±15.1 |
| Gender (%) | ||
| Male | 9 (53) | 5 (33) |
| Female | 8 (47) | 10 (67) |
| Ethnicity (%) | ||
| Caucasian | 13 (76) | 13 (87) |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | 1 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Maori or Pacific Islander | 1 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Asian | 1 (6) | 2 (13) |
| Other | 1 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Weight (kg) | 79.5 ± 17.6 | 72.3 ± 14.7 |
| Body mass index (BMI) | 29.5 ± 6.6 | 28.8 ± 6.0 |
| Obesity (%) | ||
| BMI <30 kg/m2 | 10 (59) | 10 (67) |
| BMI ≥30 kg/m2 | 7 (41) | 5 (33) |
| Smoking status* (%) | ||
| Never | 5 (29) | 7 (47) |
| Former | 10 (59) | 7 (47) |
| Current | 1 (6) | 1 (7) |
| Chronic kidney disease stage* (%) | ||
| Stage 4 | 1 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Stage 5 | 15 (88) | 15 (100) |
| Dialysis status* (%) | ||
| Haemodialysis | 15 (88) | 15 (100) |
| Peritoneal dialysis | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Predialysis | 1 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 143 ± 22 | 144 ± 27 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 70 ± 14 | 75 ± 16 |
| Haemoglobin (g/l) | 106.59 ± 9.91 | 106.47 ± 9.81 |
| Reticulocyte count (109/l) | 59.35 ± 25.26 | 59.33 ± 27.51 |
| Serum ferritin (μg/l) | 473.35 ± 316.98 | 601.47 ± 274.59 |
| Serum transferrin saturation (%) | 24.76 ± 6.45 | 28.27 ± 10.69 |
| ESA type (%) | ||
| Darbepoetin | 5 (29) | 6 (40) |
| Erythropoietin (alpha or beta) | 12 (71) | 9 (60) |
| ESA dose (IU/kg/week)† | 258.82 ± 107.92 | 223.53 ± 80.02 |
| ERI (IU/kg/week/g/l) | 2.43 ± 0.95 | 2.15 ± 0.90 |
| Total F2-isoprostanes (pg/ml) | 159.17 ± 84.51 | 125.13 ± 61.30 |
| Plasma GPX (U/l) | 177.7 ± 11.78 | 173.29 ± 14.65 |
| Plasma SOD (U/ml) | 2.2 ± 2.0 | 2.59 ± 1.72 |
| Protein carbonyls (nmol/mg) | 0.53 ± 0.21 | 0.71 ± 0.20 |
*One missing value in control group.
†Patients on darbepoetin were converted to an erythropoietin-equivalent dose using a conversion factor of 200:1.