TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population
| All patients (n = 268) | HFpEF (n = 87) | HFrEF (n = 181) | P‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline demographics | ||||
| Age (years) | 67.14 ± 10.86 | 68.48 ± 11.33 | 66.49 ± 10.61 | 0.16 |
| Sex (% female) | 57 (21.3%) | 29 (33.3%) | 28 (15.5%) | 0.001 |
| Aetiology (% ischaemic) | 162 (60.4%) | 40 (46%) | 122 (67.4%) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.95 ± 5.03 | 30.35 ± 4.94 | 28.27 ± 4.94 | 0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 127.43 ± 22.94 | 138.86 ± 22.88 | 121.87 ± 20.86 | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 75.04 ± 12.55 | 78.34 ± 13.49 | 73.43 ± 11.78 | 0.003 |
| Heart rate (b.p.m.) | 65.12 ± 10.76 | 63.69 ± 11.30 | 65.82 ± 10.45 | 0.14 |
| LVEF (%) | 39.00 ± 13.25 | 55.29 ± 5.96 | 31.17 ± 7.31 | <0.001 |
| NYHA class | 2.32 ± 0.63 | 2.17 ± 0.66 | 2.39 ± 0.60 | 0.007 |
| Medical history and co‐morbidities | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 109 (41.3%) | 40 (47.6%) | 69 (38.3%) | 0.18 |
| Hypertension (%) | 214 (80.8%) | 77 (90.6%) | 137 (76.1%) | 0.005 |
| Previous myocardial infarction (%) | 129 (49.6%) | 23 (26.7%) | 106 (61%) | <0.001 |
| Previous percutaneous intervention (%) | 126 (48.8%) | 32 (36.8%) | 94 (55%) | 0.008 |
| Previous CABG procedure (%) | 54 (21.1%) | 12 (14.1%) | 42 (24.6%) | 0.07 |
| Atrial fibrillation (%) | 101 (38.1%) | 26 (30.2%) | 75 (41.9%) | 0.08 |
| Muscle wasting (%) | 47 (17.5%) | 8 (9.2%) | 39 (21.5%) | 0.02 |
| Iron deficiency (%) | 137 (51.3%) | 42 (48.8%) | 95 (52.5%) | 0.6 |
| Anaemia (%) | 81 (30.2%) | 22 (25.3%) | 59 (32.6%) | 0.26 |
| Cachexia (%) | 52 (20.2%) | 10 (11.8%) | 42 (24.3%) | 0.021 |
| Device implantation (%) | 125 (46.6%) | 14 (16.1%) | 111 (61.3%) | <0.001 |
| ICD (%) | 56 (44.8%, n = 125) | 2 (14.3%, n = 14) | 54 (48.6%, n = 111) | 0.02 |
| CRT‐P or CRT‐D (%) | 50 (40%, n = 125) | 5 (35.7%, n = 14) | 45 (40.5%, n = 111) | 0.78 |
| Pacemaker (%) | 19 (15.2%, n = 125) | 7 (50%, n = 14) | 12 (10.8%, n = 111) | 0.001 |
| Medication | ||||
| ACE inhibitor or ARB (%) | 251 (93.7%) | 78 (89.7%) | 173 (95.6%) | 0.11 |
| Beta‐blocker (%) | 239 (89.2%) | 67 (77%) | 172 (95%) | <0.001 |
| Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (%) | 123 (45.9%) | 18 (20.7%) | 105 (58%) | <0.001 |
| Loop diuretic (%) | 147 (55.1%) | 30 (34.5%) | 117 (65%) | <0.001 |
| Thiazide (%) | 80 (29.9%) | 34 (39.1%) | 46 (25.4%) | 0.03 |
| Oral anticoagulant (%) | 90 (33.8%) | 19 (22.1%) | 71 (39.4%) | 0.006 |
| Aspirin or clopidogrel (%) | 192 (71.6%) | 53 (60.9%) | 139 (76.8%) | 0.009 |
| Statin (%) | 184 (68.7%) | 53 (60.9%) | 131 (72.4%) | 0.07 |
| Digitalis (%) | 29 (10.8%) | 5 (5.7%) | 24 (13.3%) | 0.09 |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| Haemoglobin (g/dL) | 13.42 ± 1.51 | 13.41 ± 1.42 | 13.42 ± 1.55 | 0.96 |
| Leucocytes (/nL) | 6.94 ± 2.03 | 6.63 ± 1.76 | 7.09 ± 2.13 | 0.1 |
| Platelets (/nL) | 222.62 ± 68.77 | 223.12 ± 52.38 | 222.38 ± 75.52 | 0.9 |
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 141.39 ± 4.04 | 142.37 ± 3.81 | 140.92 ± 4.07 | 0.007 |
| Potassium (mmol/L) | 4.49 ± 0.57 | 4.44 ± 0.51 | 4.51 ± 0.60 | 0.6 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.186 ± 0.43 | 1.08 ± 0.34 | 1.24 ± 0.46 | 0.02 |
| GFR (CKD‐EPI, mL/min) | 59.66 ± 14.84 | 62.09 ± 13.59 | 58.51 ± 15.3 | 0.1 |
| Serum ferritin (μg/L) | 86.54 ± 32.0 | 90.11 ± 32.86 | 84.85 ± 31.53 | 0.2 |
| TSAT (%) | 23.53 ± 9.92 | 25.57 ± 10.58 | 22.57 ± 9.46 | 0.02 |
| Transferrin (mg/dL) | 270 ± 49.3 | 257.93 ± 46.14 | 275.73 ± 49.84 | 0.006 |
| NT‐proBNP (ng/L) | 1478 ± 2696 | 403 ± 498 | 2113 ± 3219 | <0.001 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 37.05 ± 3.76 | 37.26 ± 3.43 | 36.95 ± 3.91 | 0.535 |
ACE, angiotensin‐converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI, body mass index; CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; CKD‐EPI, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration; CRT‐D, cardiac resynchronization therapy‐ defibrillator; CRT‐P, cardiac resynchronization therapy‐ pacemaker; GFR, glomerular filtration rate; HFpEF, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; HFrEF, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; ICD, implantable cardioverter defibrillator; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association; TSAT, transferrin saturation.