Table 1: Patients characteristics at baseline.
| Low GS group | High GS group | p value | |
| n | 69 | 24 | |
| Male gender (%) | 23 (33) | 15 (63) | 0.012 |
| Age (years) | 87.3 ± 4.8 | 84.8 ± 3.5 | 0.024 |
| poor ADL before admission | 30 (43) | 3 (13) | 0.006 |
| Hypertension (%) | 38 (55) | 10 (42) | 0.44 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 14 (20) | 3 (13) | 0.514 |
| Dyslipidemia (%) | 19 (28) | 4 (17) | 0.402 |
| Atrial fibrillation (%) | 27 (39) | 10 (42) | 0.49 |
| History of heart failure (%) | 20 (29) | 8 (33) | 0.436 |
| History of myocardial infarction (%) | 8 (12) | 1 (4) | 0.352 |
| NYHA functional class III or IV (%) | 51 (74) | 16 (67) | 0.500 |
| Body height (cm) | 148 ± 11 | 154 ± 8 | 0.052 |
| Body weight (kg) | 47 ± 9 | 54 ± 15 | 0.042 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 139 ± 30 | 132 ± 23 | 0.404 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 73 ± 17 | 73 ± 16 | 0.913 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 83 ± 19 | 78 ± 12 | 0.383 |
| Lymphocyte count (/mm3) | 1397 ± 543 | 1270 ± 682 | 0.373 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 10.7 ± 1.7 | 11.3 ± 1.9 | 0.16 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 1.24 ± 0.60 | 1.19 ± 0.43 | 0.683 |
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2) | 43.5 ± 21.2 | 47.0 ± 17.1 | 0.477 |
| Total protein (g/dl) | 6.4 ± 0.6 | 6.3 ± 0.5 | 0.635 |
| Serum albumin (g/dl) | 3.21 ± 0.49 | 3.23 ± 0.38 | 0.863 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 155 ± 30 | 155 ± 30 | 0.953 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dl) | 91 ± 36 | 83 ± 34 | 0.376 |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 0.65 (0.15, 2.42) | 0.74 (0.22, 2.12) | 0.948 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.79 ± 0.53 | 5.72 ± 0.49 | 0.606 |
| NT-proBNP (pg/ml) | 2511 (1347, 4176) | 1224 (635, 6193) | 0.247 |
| CONUT score | 4.48 ± 2.39 | 4.96 ± 1.88 | 0.393 |
| LVEF (%) | 55 ± 18 | 53 ± 19 | 0.689 |
| LVMI (g/m2) | 152 ± 47 | 157 ± 43 | 0.703 |
| Handgrip strength (kg) | 13.8 ± 5.7 | 18.2 ± 7.1 | 0.004 |
| gate speed (m/sec) | 0.46 ± 0.19 | 0.60 ± 0.12 | < 0.001 |
All data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median with inter quartile range (IQR) or as number (percentage) for dichotomous variables.
AD: Activity of Daily Living; BP: Blood Pressure; NYHA: New York Heart Association; eGFR: estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; NT-proBNP: N-terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide Hormone; CONUT: Controlling Nutritional Status; LVEF: Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction; LVMI: Left Ventricular Mass Index.