Table 1.
Baseline Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Patients at the Time of First Echocardiography
| Variables | HFrecEF group, n=228 | Persistent HFrEF group, n=471 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 58.87±15.02 | 65.04±12.76 | <0.001 |
| Men, n (%) | 177 (77.6) | 339 (72.0) | 0.111 |
| SBP, mm Hg | 136.07±24.33 | 128.56±22.28 | <0.001 |
| DBP, mm Hg | 85.27±17.45 | 79.27±14.36 | <0.001 |
| Heart rate, bpm | 89.27±21.86 | 82.72±18.79 | <0.001 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 84 (36.8) | 184 (39.0) | 0.571 |
| Alcohol consumption, n (%) | 51 (22.3) | 111 (23.5) | 0.725 |
| QRS duration, ms | 108.02±28.77 | 118.71±36.41 | <0.001 |
| QTc interval, ms | 480.58±42.21 | 479.18±56.16 | 0.725 |
| Height, m | 1.71±0.08 | 1.69±0.08 | 0.105 |
| Weight, kg | 76.39±16.07 | 73.19±15.03 | 0.012 |
| BSA, kg/m2 | 1.96±0.22 | 1.93±0.23 | 0.180 |
| NYHA class III/IV, n (%) | 54 (23.7) | 125 (26.5) | 0.417 |
| Coronary heart disease (n,%) | 59 (25.9) | 220 (46.7) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 147 (64.5) | 289 (61.4) | 0.425 |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 87 (38.2) | 150 (31.8) | 0.299 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 67 (29.4) | 169 (35.9) | <0.001 |
| Cerebrovascular disease, n (%) | 20 (8.8) | 58 (12.3) | 0.163 |
| Laboratory values | |||
| White blood cells, 109/L | 6.91 (5.68–8.25) | 6.77 (5.38–8.44) | 0.671 |
| Neutrophil, % | 62.8 (55.9–70.3) | 65.1 (57.0–72.1) | 0.100 |
| Neutrophil, 109/L | 4.28 (3.25–5.63) | 4.27 (3.25–5.68) | 0.790 |
| Hemoglobin, g/L | 140.52±21.82 | 135.74±20.45 | 0.005 |
| Platelet, 109/L | 199 (160–246) | 191 (159–232) | 0.215 |
| BNP, pg/mL | 692.2 (355.9–1427.9) | 900.1 (451.3–1650.0) | 0.010 |
| D‐dimer, μmol/L | 670 (285–1235) | 680 (330–1373) | 0.406 |
| Glucose, mmol/L | 5.35 (4.72–6.57) | 5.40 (4.76–7.09) | 0.160 |
| Triglyceride, mmol/L | 1.18 (0.86–1.53) | 1.11 (0.87–1.52) | 0.634 |
| Cholesterol, mmol/L | 4.10 (3.48–5.23) | 4.22 (3.46–5.04) | 0.944 |
| LDL‐C, mmol/L | 2.29 (1.89,3.04) | 2.41 (1.87–3.02) | 0.842 |
| HDL‐C, mmol/L | 1.00 (0.79–1.22) | 1.01 (0.82–1.20) | 0.608 |
| hs‐TnI, μg/L | 0.044 (0.020–0.116) | 0.058 (0.027–0.198) | 0.009 |
| Urea, mmol/L | 7.54 (5.67–9.47) | 7.94 (6.33–10.31) | 0.020 |
| Creatinine, mmol/L | 85 (72–101) | 87 (74–112) | 0.145 |
| Uric acid, mmol/L | 463 (361–583) | 445 (366–567) | 0.873 |
| Serum sodium, mmol/L | 141 (139–144) | 141 (138–143) | 0.053 |
| Serum potassium, mmol/L | 3.98±0.49 | 3.98±0.51 | 0.902 |
| Echocardiography findings | |||
| LVEDD, mm | 60.29±7.78 | 62.03±9.38 | 0.010 |
| LVEF | 30.05±6.14 | 30.59±6.12 | 0.275 |
| IVS, mm | 10.63±1.70 | 10.17±1.94 | 0.002 |
| LVPWT, mm | 10.00 (9.75, 11.00) | 10.0 (9.00, 11.00) | <0.001 |
| LAD, mm | 45.76±7.58 | 44.81±6.32 | 0.080 |
| LATD, mm | 49.23±8.07 | 48.52±6.52 | 0.209 |
| LASID, mm | 62.68±8.85 | 62.21±8.77 | 0.509 |
| E/e′ | 12.3 (10.3, 16.0) | 14.3 (11.0, 19.0) | 0.002 |
| EDT, mms | 150 (120, 190) | 150 (127, 190) | 0.465 |
| LAV, mL | 70.54 (56.09, 84.81) | 68.12 (54.19, 87.71) | 0.381 |
| LAVI, mL/m2 | 44.55 (32.32, 64.83) | 42.50 (31.03, 67.07) | 0.640 |
| LASI | 0.786±0.067 | 0.783±0.066 | 0.592 |
| Time interval, mo | 13.5 (7.0, 26.0) | 17.0 (8.0, 31.0) | 0.007 |
| Medications | |||
| β‐Blockers, n (%) | 221 (96.9) | 450 (95.5) | 0.380 |
| RAAS blockers, n (%) | 181 (79.4) | 366 (77.7) | 0.614 |
| Spironolactone, n (%) | 134 (58.8) | 339 (72.0) | <0.001 |
| Digoxin, n (%) | 66 (28.9) | 128 (27.2) | 0.624 |
| Loop diuretic, n (%) | 78 (34.2) | 241 (51.2) | <0.001 |
| Aspirin, n (%) | 74 (32.5) | 219 (46.5) | <0.001 |
| Statins, n (%) | 102 (44.7) | 269 (57.1) | 0.002 |
| Nitrates, n (%) | 53 (23.2) | 181 (38.4) | <0.001 |
| Warfarin, n (%) | 70 (30.7) | 140 (29.7) | 0.792 |
| ICD, n (%) | 2 (0.9) | 13 (2.8) | 0.107 |
| CRT, n (%) | 5 (2.2) | 29 (6.2) | 0.022 |
Categorical data are presented as percentages, and a χ2 test was used to compare the differences. Continuous variables with nonnormal distribution are expressed as median (interquartile range) and were analyzed using the Kruska‐Wallis test. Continuous variables with normal distribution are presented as mean±SD, and an independent‐sample t test was applied to assess the differences. BNP indicates B‐type natriuretic peptide; BSA, body surface area; CRT, cardiac resynchronization therapy; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; E/e′, mitral Doppler early velocity/mitral annular early velocity; EDT, E peak deceleration time; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; HFrecEF, heart failure with recovered ejection fraction; HFrEF, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; hs‐TnI, high‐sensitivity troponin I; ICD, implanted cardiac device; IVS, interventricular septal; LAD, left atrium diameter; LASI, left atrial sphericity index; LASID, left atrial superior–inferior diameter; LATD, left atrial transverse diameter; LAV, left atrial volume; LAVI, left atrial volume index; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; LVEDD, left ventricular end‐diastolic diameter; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; LVPWT, left ventricular posterior wall thickness; NYHA, New York Heart Association; RAAS, renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system; and SBP, systolic blood pressure.