Limitations
There were a few limitations in this study. This was a single-center
study based on a relatively small group of patients. The sample size may
not be large enough to generalize the results. Patients on hemodialysis
were also excluded; therefore, the validity of the results for different
populations is potentially limited. We could not confirm EFT measured by
magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging methods. Another
limitation was that the association with APV and PWV was not evaluated.
A large randomized clinical trial is needed to provide strength to
present study findings.