Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
| Variables | Study population, n = 60 |
|---|---|
| Demographics and medical history | |
| Age, years | 74 (70–78) |
| Male, n (%) | 45 (75) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 50 (83) |
| NYHA III–IV, n (%) | 28 (47) |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 32 (53) |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 47 (78) |
| Ischemic etiology, n (%) | 25 (42) |
| Valvular disease, n (%) | 26 (42) |
| Charlson's index | 2 (1–3) |
| Renal failure, n (%) | 32 (53) |
| Peripheral edema, n (%) | 49 (65) |
| Prior heart failure hospitalization, n (%) | 35 (58) |
| Admitted for heart failure, n (%) | 57 (95) |
| Electrocardiogram and vital signs | |
| Heart rate, bpm | 80 (66–94) |
| SBP, mmHg | 125 (115–144) |
| DBP, mmHg | 68 (60–80) |
| QRS > 120 ms, n (%) | 25 (41) |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 36 (60) |
| Echocardiography | |
| LVEF, % | 44.1 ± 16.6 |
| LVEF < 40, % | 27 (45) |
| LVEF 41–49, % | 8 ( 13) |
| LVEF ≥ 50, % | 25 (42) |
| sPAP, mm | 43.6 (14.8) |
| TAPSE, mm | 17.4 (3.9) |
| Laboratory tests | |
| Hemoglobin, mg/dL | 12 ± 1.8 |
| Sodium, mEq/L | 140 ± 3.2 |
| Potassium, mEq/L | 4.1 ± 0.6 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 1.4 (1.04–2.1) |
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2 | 46.3 (31.6–69.3) |
| NT-proBNP, pg/mL | 4789 (1956–11149) |
| Interleukin-1β | 3.2 (3.0–3.8) |
| Interleukin-6 | 6.9 (3.5–20.3) |
| TNF-α | 12.7 (8.9–20.6) |
| Interelukin-10 | 2.3 (1.6–7.0) |
| Trimetilamine N-oxide | 0.68 (0.42–1.12) |
| Butyrate | 0.22 ± 13 |
| SIBO, n (%) | 36 (63) |
| AUC-H2 | 1615 (700–2585) |
| Pharmacological treatment | |
| ACEI/ARB, n (%) | 25 (60) |
| Beta-blockers, n (%) | 40 (67) |
| Furosemide equivalent dose, mg/day | 80 (60–120) |
*There are not missing values in the variables listed in this table.
Continuous variable are expressed as median (percentile 25–percentile 75) or mean ± standard deviation.
NYHA New york heart association class, SBP systolic blood pressure, DBP diastolic blood pressure, LVEF left ventricular ejection fraction, sPAP systolic arterial pulmonary pressure, TAPSE tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, NT-proBNP amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate, TNF-α tumor necrosis factor-α, AUC-H2 area under the curve of hydrogen, SIBO small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, ACEI angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, ARB angiotensin II receptor blockers.