Clinical characteristics of the subjects in the study
| Characteristic | All subjects (n=672) | “Normal” subjects¶ (n=130) |
|---|---|---|
| Differences between groups are not significant unless indicated. *p<0.05; †p<0.005; ‡p<0.0001, “normal” v remainder of subjects. | ||
| ¶Definition of “normal”: no congestive heart failure, no ischaemic heart disease, no history of hypertension, no diabetes, no lung disease, no cardiovascular drug treatment, left ventricular ejection fraction ⩾ 60%, blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and a normal ECG. | ||
| ¶¶Dyspnoea classified according to WHO: grade 2, dyspnoea on vacuum cleaning or climbing one flight of stairs; grade 3, dyspnoea when walking on an even road; grade 4, dyspnoea on minimal exertion; grade 5, orthopnoea; grade 6, dyspnoea at rest. | ||
| ¶¶¶Abnormal ECG: presence of arrhythmias, ST deviation, Q waves, hypertrophy, or abnormal left ventricular axis (according to the Minnesota code). | ||
| §Values are mean (95% confidence interval) unless indicated. | ||
| §§Values are n (%). | ||
| ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; HbA1c, glycosylated haemoglobin; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide. | ||
| Demography | ||
| Men/women | 290 (43%) / 382 (57%) | 53 (41%) / 77 (59%) |
| Age (years) | ||
| 50–59 | 174 (26%) | 59 (45%) |
| 60–69 | 204 (30%) | 45 (35%) |
| 70–79 | 174 (26%) | 19 (15%) |
| ⩾80 | 120 (18%) | 7 (5%) |
| Median (5th to 95th centiles) | 68.1 (52.6 to 86.1) | 61.0 (51.8 to 80.4)‡ |
| Current daily smoker | 237 (35%) | 51 (39%) |
| Clinical history | ||
| Dyspnoea¶¶ | ||
| Grade 2 | 84 (13%) | 11 (8%) |
| Grade 3 | 51 (8%) | 6 (5%) |
| Grade 4 | 47 (7%) | 1 (1%) |
| Grade 5 | 14 (2%) | 0 (0%) |
| Grade 6 | 23 (3%) | 1 (1%) |
| Median (5th to 95th centiles) | 1 (1 to 5) | 1 (1 to 3)‡ |
| Ankle oedema | 155 (23%) | 17 (13%)† |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 96 (14%) | – |
| Hypertension | 169 (25%) | – |
| Angina | 83 (12%) | – |
| Diabetes mellitus | ||
| Insulin treated | 7 (1%) | – |
| Non-insulin dependent | 36 (5%) | – |
| Pulmonary disease | 74 (11%) | – |
| Valvar heart disease | 10 (1%) | – |
| Measurements§ | ||
| Heart rate (beats/min) | 75.4 (74.4 to 76.4) | 73.8 (71.7 to 75.8) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 144 (142 to 145) | 124 (122 to 126)‡ |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 86.6 (85.6 to 87.5) | 79.2 (77.9 to 80.4)‡ |
| Pulse pressure (mm Hg) | 56.9 (55.4 to 58.3) | 44.8 (43.0 to 46.5)‡ |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | ||
| ⩽50 | 77 (11%) | – |
| ⩽45 | 58 (9%) | – |
| ⩽40 | 38 (6%) | – |
| ⩽35 | 21 (3%) | – |
| Median (5th to 95th centiles) | 60 (40 to 60) | 60 (60 to 60)‡ |
| NT-proBNP (pmol/l) (geometric mean) | 35.7 (32.8 to 38.9) | 18.7 (15.9 to 22.1)‡ |
| HbA1c (%) (geometric mean) | 5.60 (5.55 to 5.66) | 5.38 (5.31 to 5.46)‡ |
| Creatinine (μmol/l) (geometric mean) | 84.6 (83.3 to 85.8) | 82.1 (79.8 to 84.4)* |
| Urine albumin (%) (geometric mean) | 9.06 (8.35 to 9.82) | 6.13 (5.33 to 7.04)‡ |
| Atrial fibrillation (n (%)) | 24 (4) | – |
| Abnormal ECG¶¶¶ (n (%)) | 197 (29) | – |
| Drug treatment§§ | ||
| Diuretics | ||
| Loop | 37 (6) | – |
| Others | 82 (12) | – |
| ACE inhibitor | 42 (6) | – |
| Angiotensin II blocker | 12 (2) | – |
| β Blocker | 30 (5) | – |
| Calcium antagonist | 39 (6) | – |
| Nitrates | 26 (4) | – |
| Digoxin | 25 (4) | – |
| Aspirin | 112 (17) | 10 (8)† |