Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted in accordance with the study aims and the nature of the variables. Descriptive parameters, including mean, standard deviation (SD), and percentage, were used to describe the distributions of demographic and disease data. Differences between the two groups were compared initially using t-test and χ2 test as appropriate. For inferential analysis, investigators used generalized estimating equation (GEE) procedure with identity link function with normal distribution to assess the long-term effects of DCMP, while taking into account within-subject correlations between measurements over time and the influence of potential confounding covariates. All analyses were conducted using SAS statistical software, Version 9.3. A p value of < .05 was considered statistically significant.