Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of patients according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class.
| Clinical Variables | I NYHA | II NYHA | III NYHA | IV NYHA | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 26) | (n = 78) | (n = 54) | (n = 27) | ||
| Age, years (mean ± SD) | 51.50 ± 7.99 | 53.95 ± 13.53 | 54.37 ± 9.49 | 57.78 ± 14.86 | 0.295 |
| Male (n (%)) | 21 (80.8) | 67 (85.7) | 48 (88.9) | 18 (66.7) | 0.070 * |
| Female (n (%)) | 5 (19.2) | 11 (14.1) | 6 (11.1) | 9 (33.3) | 0.070 * |
| Left ventricular ejection | 34.28 ± 11.45 | 30.80 ± 10.99 d,e | 27.71 ± 12.25 | 25.76 ± 11.07 | <0.015 |
| fraction (%, mean ± SD) | |||||
| 6 min. walking test, m (mean ± SD) | 518.65 ± 107.74 b,c | 471.23 ± 82.96 d,e | 378.9 ± 127.10 | 273.18 ± 143.18 | <0.005 |
| BMI (median, min-max) | 29.38 (21–37) a,c | 27.38(19–43) | 26.54(21–44) | 25.00(21–45) | <0.029 |
| SBP (mean ± SD) | 138.38 ± 18.39 abc | 124.81 ± 17.84 | 123.85 ± 20.73 | 115.56 ± 23.99 | <0.015 |
| DBP (mean ± SD) | 85.27 ± 10.83 c | 82.12 ± 12.45 | 81.13 ± 14.33 | 75.30 ± 11.95 | 0.015 |
BMI—body mass index; SBP—systolic blood pressure; DBP—diastolic blood pressure; LVEF—left ventricular ejection fraction; a—statistically significant difference between NYHA I and NYHA II patients; b—statistically significant difference between NYHA I and NYHA III patients; c—statistically significant difference between NYHA I and NYHA IV patients; d—statistically significant difference between NYHA II and NYHA III patients; e—statistically significant difference between NYHA II and NYHA IV patients; *—the comparisons were made using the chi-square test; Welch’s test was used for other variables.