Table 1. Participant characteristics at hospital admission.

Characteristic		Participants with HF (n = 49)	Participants without any diagnosis of a structural heart disease (n = 12)	Total sample (n = 61)
Data are presented as n (%) unless other indicated. *New York Heart Association classification system [The Criteria Committee of the New York Heart Association 1994].[11] Class I. Patients with cardiac disease but without resulting limitation of physical activity. Ordinary physical activity does not cause undue fatigue, palpitation, dyspnoea, or anginal pain. Class II. Patients with cardiac disease resulting in slight limitation of physical activity. They are comfortable at rest. Ordinary physical activity results in fatigue, palpitation, dyspnoea, or anginal pain. Class III. Patients with cardiac disease resulting in marked limitation of physical activity. They are comfortable at rest. Less than ordinary activity causes fatigue, palpitation, dyspnoea, or anginal pain. Class IV. Patients with cardiac disease resulting in inability to carry on any physical activity without discomfort. Symptoms of heart failure or the anginal syndrome may be present even at rest. If any physical activity is undertaken, discomfort increases. HF: heart failure; ICD-10: 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems; IQR: interquartile range.
Age in years, mean ± SD (range)		83.1 ± 5.9 (65–97)	78.6 ± 6.9 (70–88)	82.2 ± 6.3 (65–97)
Sex, females		31 (63.3%)	3 (25.0%)	34 (55.7%)
Number of ICD-10 diagnoses per participant, median (IQR)		19 (14 – 22)	18 (12 – 19)	19 (16 – 25)
*New York Heart Association class
No diagnosis of HF		0	12 (100%)	12 (19.7%)
I		0	0	0
II		26 (53.1%)	0	26 (42.6%)
III		13 (26.5%)	0	13 (21.3%)
IV		10 (20.4%)	0	10 (16.4%)
Walking aid
None		10 (20.4%)	4 (33.3%)	14 (23.0%)
Cane		5 (10.2%)	0	5 (8.2%)
Other		27 (55.1%)	6 (50.0%)	33 (54.1%)
Missing		7 (14.3%)	2 (16.7%)	9 (14.8%)