Baseline characteristics of the study cohort for all patients and categorised according to the tertile distribution of hs-CRP
| All | Hs-CRP <0.80 mg/L | Hs-CRP 0.80–2.50 mg/L | Hs-CRP >2.50 mg/L | P value | % missing | |
| Number of patients | 591 | 200 | 200 | 191 | ||
| Clinical characteristics | ||||||
| Age, years | 33 (25–41) | 31 (23–40) | 33 (25–42) | 34 (26–42) | 0.002 | 0.0 |
| Sex, men | 343 (58) | 139 (70) | 120 (60) | 84 (44) | <0.001 | 0.0 |
| Surgical repair | 537 (91) | 184 (92.0) | 185 (92.5) | 168 (88.0) | 0.248 | 0.0 |
| Age at surgical repair, years | 3.9 (0.8–12.0) | 2.9 (0.7–11.3) | 4.1 (1.0–14.4) | 4.2 (0.8–11.2) | 0.730 | 0.0 |
| Mechanical valve | 62 (9) | 13 (7) | 27 (14) | 22 (12) | 0.063 | 0.0 |
| Pacemaker | 37 (3) | 6 (3) | 16 (8) | 15 (8) | 0.065 | 0.0 |
| ICD | 20 (3) | 6 (3) | 8 (4) | 6 (3) | 0.837 | 0.0 |
| Cardiac medication use* | 211 (36) | 48 (24) | 83 (42) | 80 (42) | <0.001 | 0.0 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 24.8±4.4 | 23.3±3.8 | 24.7±3.8 | 26.4±5.0 | <0.001 | 0.5 |
| Heart rate, beats/minute | 74±13.4 | 73±13 | 71±13 | 77±14 | 0.016 | 1.4 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 126±16 | 126±16 | 125±15 | 128±18 | 0.175 | 1.9 |
| O2 saturation <90% | 17 (3) | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 9 (5) | 0.114 | 7.4 |
| NYHA class, II or III | 61 (10) | 15 (8) | 19 (10) | 27 (14) | 0.032 | 0.0 |
| Electrocardiography | ||||||
| Rhythm | 0.360† | 0.0 | ||||
| Sinus | 510 (86) | 178 (89) | 171 (86) | 161 (84) | ||
| Paced | 44 | 10 (5) | 18 (9) | 16 (8) | ||
| Atrial fibrillation | 15 | 3 (1) | 6 (3) | 6 (5) | ||
| Other | 22 | 9 (5) | 5 (2) | 8 (4) | ||
| QRS duration, ms | 112 (100–137) | 114 (101–144) | 112 (101–134) | 111 (97–135) | 0.124 | 7.4 |
| Echocardiography | ||||||
| Left atrial volume, mL/m2‡ | 20.7 (15.7–29.2) | 21.5 (14.9–27.9) | 20.2 (16.1–30.8) | 20.5 (16.3–28.6) | 0.881 | 28.4 |
| LV end-diastolic volume, mL/m2‡ | 63.4±18.8 | 62.3±15.8 | 66.5±21.8 | 61.2±18.0 | 0.737 | 32.1 |
| LV ejection fraction, % ‡ | 56.0±7.8 | 56.7±7.0 | 55.7±7.9 | 55.7±8.6 | 0.305 | 32.3 |
| Right ventricular fractional area change, % | 38.2±11.3 | 38.6±10.8 | 38.4±12.0 | 37.7±11.2 | 0.511 | 35.7 |
| Systemic ventricular function | 0.408 | 0.0 | ||||
| Normal | 298 (50) | 107 (53) | 95 (48) | 96 (50) | ||
| Mildly impaired | 206 (35) | 69 (35) | 69 (35) | 68 (36) | ||
| Moderately impaired | 69 (12) | 21 (10) | 26 (13) | 22 (11) | ||
| Severely impaired | 18 (3) | 3 (2) | 10 (5) | 5 (3) | ||
| E/A ratio | 1.6±0.7 | 1.7±0.6 | 1.7±0.8 | 1.5±0.6 | 0.023 | 27.1 |
| E' wave, m/s | 8.2±2.6 | 8.5±2.4 | 8.3±2.8 | 7.9±2.6 | 0.039 | 34.5 |
| E/E' ratio | 11.6±5.1 | 10.8±4.1 | 11.6±5.3 | 12.5±5.7 | 0.007 | 35.7 |
| Severe valvular dysfunction§ | 84 (14.5) | 25 (13) | 23 (12) | 36 (19) | 0.068 | 1.9 |
| Laboratory results | ||||||
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2 | 90 (82–90) | 90 (86–90) | 90 (81–90) | 90 (80–90) | 0.002 | 1.5 |
| Haemoglobin, mmol Fe/L | 9.22±0.99 | 9.39±0.83 | 9.21±0.94 | 9.06±1.15 | 0.001 | 1.5 |
| NT-proBNP, pmol/L | 15 (7–33) | 10 (5–22) | 15 (7–37) | 24 (11–40) | <0.001 | 0.7 |
| Hs-TnT, ng/L | 4.3 (1.5–7.2) | 4.0 (1.5–6.5) | 4.6 (1.5–7.6) | 4.3 (1.5–7.6) | 0.068 | 0.3 |
Categorical variables are presented as number (%) and continuous variables as mean±SD or median (IQR).
*Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin 2 receptor blockers, beta-blocker, diuretics, calcium blockers or anti-arrhythmic drugs.
†P value for comparison of sinus rhythm vs no sinus rhythm.
‡Left-sided volumes were not measured in patients with a systemic right ventricle, univentricular heart, pulmonary hypertension or a poor acoustic window.
§Defined as maximal aortic or pulmonary valve velocity >4.0 m/s; grade 3 or 4 out of 4 aortic, pulmonary or mitral valve regurgitation; or grade 4 out of 4 tricuspid valve regurgitation.
eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; hs-TnT, high-sensitivity troponin T; LV, left ventricular; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association.