Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of the study cohort.
| Variable | Without PH | With PH | Severe PH | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 188) | (n = 96) | (n = 56) | ||
| Pulmonary function test | ||||
| FVC, % predicted | 62.3 ± 19.1 | 54.7 ± 18.1 ǂ | 52.9 ± 17.7 | <0.0001 |
| FEV1, % predicted | 67.9 ± 19.3 | 60.7 ± 19.1 ǂ | 59.3 ± 19.1 | 0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC, ratio | 88.0 ± 9.3 | 89.4 ± 8.2 ǂ | 88.9 ± 8.4 | 0.449 |
| DLCO, % predicted | 45.3 ± 20.7 γ | 37.9 ± 17.1 κ | 33.3 ± 19.4 λ | <0.0001 |
| Six-minute walk test | n = 184 | n = 91 | n = 54 | |
| Initial Borg score | 1.0 ± 1.4 | 0.9 ± 1.4 | 0.9 ± 0.9 | 0.984 |
| Final Borg score | 3.4 ± 2.3 | 3.9 ± 2.4 | 3.9 ± 2.2 | 0.153 |
| Initial SpO2, % | 95.7 ± 2.7 | 94.8 ± 2.7 | 94.2 ± 3.8 | 0.001 |
| Final SpO2, % | 86.7 ± 7.0 | 82.9 ± 7.6 | 82.3 ± 8.0 | <0.0001 |
| Distance, meters | 343.6 ± 113.6 | 307.8 ± 103.4 | 251.0 ± 122.0 | <0.0001 |
| Treatment | ||||
| PDE-5i | - | 39 (40.6) | 20 (35.7) | 0.549 |
| ERA | - | 3 (3.1) | 3 (5.3) | 0.670 |
| Prostanoids | - | 0 | 1 (1.7) | 0.368 |
| Combination therapy | ||||
| PDE-5i + ERA | - | 10 (10.4) | 7 (12.5) | 0.694 |
| PDE-5i + Prostanoids | - | 2 (2.0) | 1 (1.7) | 1.000 |
| PDE-5i + ERA + Prostanoids | - | 3 (3.1) | 2 (3.5) | 1.000 |
| Antifibrotic therapy | 31 (16.4) | 16 (16.6) | 8 (14.2) | 0.909 |
| Immuomodulator therapy | 44 (23.4) | 31 (32.2) | 18 (32.1) | 0.245 |
| Oxygen supplementation | 106 (56.3) | 75 (78.1) | 44 (78.5) | <0.0001 |
Data are presented as the means ± standard deviations or numbers (percentages). FVC: forced vital capacity; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second; TLC: total lung capacity; DLco: diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide; SpO2: oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry; PDE-5i: phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor; ERA: endothelin receptor antagonist. ǂ n = 94; γ n = 176; κ n = 80; λ n = 46.