Table 1.
Patient characteristics (n = 247)
| Age (years), mean (95%CI) | 65.6 (63.8–67.4) |
| Female, n (%) | 78 (32) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) mean (95%CI) | 25.5 (24.8–26.2) |
| History of smoking, n (%) | 152 (62) |
| Vital signs mean (95%CI) | |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 144 (141–147) |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 77 (75–79) |
| Heart rate (BPM) | 71 (70–73) |
| Dialysis, mean (95%CI) | |
| Dialysis vintage (years) | 3.8 (3.3–4.2) |
| Residual diuresis (mL) | 623 (529–717) |
| Fluid filtration (L) | 2.0 (1.9–2.1) |
| Weekly haemodialysis treatments | 3.1 (3.0–3.1) range 2–7. |
| Cause of kidney failure, n (%) | |
| Diabetes | 49 (20) |
| Hypertension | 50 (20) |
| Polycystic kidney disease | 24 (10) |
| Glomerulonephritis | 27 (11) |
| Other | 97 (39) |
| Medical history, n (%) | |
| Diabetes | 74 (30) |
| Hypertension | 148 (60) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 65 (26) |
| Previous stroke | 48 (19) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 21 (9) |
| Heart failure | 38 (15) |
| Valve disease | 26 (11) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 52 (21) |
| Pacemaker | 3 (1) |
| Implantable converter defibrillator | 3 (1) |
| Previous kidney transplantation | 5 (2) |
| Heart transplantation | 1 (0.4) |
| Medical treatment, n (%) | |
| Diuretics | 118 (48) |
| Beta-blockers | 138 (56) |
| ACE-inhibitor or ARB | 54 (22) |
All continuous variables are presented as mean and 95% confidence interval (CI), categorical data as number and percentage (%). ACE denotes angiotensin converting enzyme; ARB denotes angiotensin receptor blocker; BP pre-dialysis blood pressure, LVEF left ventricular ejection fraction