Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Patients.*
| Characteristic | Sildenafil (N = 89) |
Placebo (N = 91) |
|---|---|---|
| Age — yr | 69.76±8.71 | 68.20±9.25 |
| Female sex — no. (%) | 14 (16) | 16 (18) |
| Race — no. (%)† | ||
| White | 78 (88) | 85 (93) |
| Black | 5 (6) | 1 (1) |
| Other | 6 (7) | 5 (5) |
| History of smoking — no. (%) | 68 (76) | 69 (76) |
| Time since diagnosis — yr | 2.03±1.94 | 1.87±1.93 |
| Supplemental use of oxygen during walk test — no. (%) | 28 (31) | 24 (26) |
| 6-Minute walk distance — m | ||
| First test | 246.93±99.11 | 267.71±127.75 |
| Second test | 246.39±103.40 | 269.55±129.83 |
| Score on Borg Dyspnea Index after walk test (range, 0–10)‡ | 3.82±1.95 | 3.33±1.73 |
| Score on Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (range, 0–120)‡§ | 50.71±22.00 | 43.28±20.18 |
| Total score on St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (range, 0–100)‡ | 54.55±16.46 | 51.72±15.86 |
| SF-36 (range for each subscale, 0–100)¶ | ||
| Aggregate physical score | 33.17±9.19 | 34.84±8.69 |
| Aggregate mental score | 49.53±9.76 | 50.58±9.52 |
| Score on EQ-5D¶ | ||
| Self-report questionnaire (range, −0.59 to 1.00) | 0.71±0.24 | 0.74±0.19 |
| Visual analogue scale (range, 0–100) | 66.49±17.45 | 67.66±16.98 |
| Forced vital capacity — % of predicted value | 54.89±14.00 | 58.73±14.12 |
| Carbon monoxide diffusion capacity — % of predicted value | 25.81±6.03 | 26.73±6.16 |
| Partial pressure of oxygen — mm Hg | 66.22±12.22 | 69.88±12.85 |
| Arterial oxygen saturation — %§ | 91.24±4.22 | 92.59±3.75 |
*
Plus–minus values are means ±SD. EQ-5D denotes EuroQol Group 5-Dimension, and SF-36 Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding.
†
Race was self-reported.
‡
A higher score indicates worse function.
§
P<0.05.
¶
A higher score indicates better function.