Table 1. Clinical Characteristics of the 2186 Study Participantsa.
| Characteristic | Quartile of GLS, No. (%)b | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First (GLS ≤−20.0) | Second (GLS >−20.0 to ≤−17.5) | Third (GLS >−17.5 to ≤−14.4) | Fourth (GLS >−14.4) | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 64.8 (10.5) | 64.6 (10.6) | 65.5 (10.5) | 65.3 (10.4) |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 267 (48.8) | 180 (33.0) | 183 (33.5) | 138 (25.3) |
| Male | 280 (51.2) | 366 (67.0) | 364 (66.5) | 408 (74.7) |
| NT-proBNP, median (IQR), pg/mL | 108.5 (52.9-219.2) | 117.00 (59.0-222.0) | 154.00 (70.9-309.3) | 407.5 (145.9-1099.3) |
| NYHA class ≥II | 141 (25.8) | 139 (25.5) | 171 (31.3) | 246 (45.1) |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | ||||
| Arterial hypertension | 421 (77.0) | 436 (79.9) | 450 (82.3) | 427 (78.2) |
| Type 2 diabetes | 102 (18.6) | 105 (19.2) | 134 (24.5) | 157 (28.8) |
| Dyslipidemia | 348 (63.6) | 377 (69.0) | 408 (74.6) | 436 (79.9) |
| Family history of MI or stroke | 137 (25.1) | 119 (21.8) | 121 (22.1) | 152 (27.8) |
| Obesity | 140 (25.6) | 166 (30.4) | 198 (36.2) | 210 (38.5) |
| Smoking | 65 (11.9) | 69 (12.6) | 70 (12.8) | 85 (15.6) |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Atrial fibrillationc | 73 (13.3) | 81 (14.8) | 91 (16.6) | 128 (23.4) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 88 (16.1) | 93 (17.0) | 71 (13.0) | 109 (20.0) |
| COPD | 75 (13.7) | 65 (11.9) | 76 (13.9) | 85 (15.6) |
| Coronary artery disease | 142 (26.0) | 204 (37.4) | 225 (41.1) | 295 (54.0) |
| Myocardial infarction | 72 (13.2) | 119 (21.8) | 149 (27.2) | 202 (37.0) |
| Peripheral artery disease | 26 (4.8) | 37 (6.8) | 35 (6.4) | 55 (10.1) |
| Stroke | 35 (6.4) | 46 (8.4) | 48 (8.8) | 58 (10.6) |
| Venous thromboembolism | 46 (8.4) | 51 (9.3) | 51 (9.3) | 43 (7.9) |
| Left ventricular function | ||||
| E/E′ ratio, median (IQR) | 8.09 (6.33-10.05) | 7.82 (6.00-10.13) | 8.46 (6.61-10.93) | 10.07 (7.31-14.50) |
| LVEF, mean (SD), % | 61.1 (6.4) | 58.9 (6.5) | 55.9 (7.9) | 45.1 (11.7) |
| Left ventricular geometry | ||||
| LVEDV, median (IQR), mL | 84.0 (71.0-101.0) | 94.7 (78.0-114.7) | 99.0 (78.0-120.0) | 128.7 (97.4-170.0) |
| LVESV, median (IQR), mL | 32.5 (26.0-41.0) | 38.1 (30.0-49.0) | 42.5 (32.0-56.5) | 70.0 (46.0-103.3) |
| LVMi, median (IQR), g/m2.7 | 42.1 (35.1-49.0) | 42.2 (35.8-51.0) | 45.4 (37.4-54.1) | 53.3 (44.2-65.9) |
| RWT, mean (SD) | 0.44 (0.12) | 0.42 (0.11) | 0.44 (0.13) | 0.39 (0.12) |
| Heart failure stages according to AHA | ||||
| Stage A | 186 (34.0) | 136 (24.9) | 85 (15.5) | 27 (4.9) |
| Stage B | 179 (32.7) | 186 (34.1) | 167 (30.5) | 97 (17.8) |
| Stage C/D | 182 (33.3) | 224 (41.0) | 295 (53.9) | 422 (77.3) |
| Medicationd | ||||
| ACE inhibitor (C09A) | 151 (27.6) | 169 (31.0) | 204 (37.3) | 259 (47.4) |
| Aldosterone receptor antagonist (C03DA) | 22 (4.0) | 27 (4.9) | 44 (8.0) | 181 (33.2) |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker (C09C) | 170 (31.1) | 185 (33.9) | 172 (31.4) | 150 (27.5) |
| β-Blocker (C07) | 236 (43.1) | 274 (50.2) | 312 (57.0) | 384 (70.3) |
| Diuretic (C03) | 85 (15.5) | 107 (19.6) | 134 (24.5) | 292 (53.5) |
| Ivabradine (C01EB17) | 26 (4.8) | 25 (4.6) | 29 (5.3) | 65 (11.9) |
| Statin (C10AA) | 184 (33.6) | 233 (42.7) | 270 (49.4) | 288 (52.7) |
Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; AHA, American Heart Association; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; E, peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity; E′, peak early diastolic mitral annular tissue velocity at lateral mitral annulus; GLS, global longitudinal strain; IQR, interquartile range; LVEDV, left-ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume; LVEF, LV ejection fraction; LVESV, LV end-systolic volume; LVMi, LV mass indexed to body height2.7; MI, myocardial infarction; NT-proBNP, N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic protein; NYHA, New York Heart Association; RWT, relative wall thickness.
Categorical variables are presented as relative and absolute frequency.
The first and third quartiles of GLS each included 547 patients; the second and fourth quartiles each included 546 individuals.
Individuals with atrial fibrillation were included in case sinus rhythm was present during the echocardiographic examination.
Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system codes of drugs were recorded during the baseline visit in the study center; codes for the categories of medication are reported in parentheses.