Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population according to atrial fibrillation (history or baseline electrocardiogram)
| No AF (n = 2834) | Any AF (n = 1910) | p‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 64.3 (11.2) | 69.3 (9.6) | <0.001 |
| Sex, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Female | 713 (25.2) | 396 (20.7) | |
| Male | 2121 (74.8) | 1514 (79.3) | |
| Race, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Asian | 806 (28.4) | 310 (16.2) | |
| Black | 156 (5.5) | 70 (3.7) | |
| White | 1825 (64.4) | 1508 (79.0) | |
| Other | 47 (1.7) | 22 (1.2) | |
| Geographic region, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Asia/Pacific | 791 (27.9) | 305 (16.0) | |
| Europe | 1085 (38.3) | 1069 (56.0) | |
| North America | 391 (13.8) | 286 (15.0) | |
| South America | 567 (20.0) | 250 (13.1) | |
| Physiologic measures | |||
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean (SD) | 121.9 (16.8) | 121.7 (15.7) | 0.58 |
| Heart rate (bpm), mean (SD) | 70.7 (10.7) | 72.7 (12.9) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 27.7 (5.9) | 28.8 (6.0) | <0.001 |
| Creatinine (µmol/L), mean (SD) | 101.7 (30.6) | 108.6 (29.7) | <0.001 |
| Glycated haemoglobin, median (IQR) | 6.1 (5.7–7.0) | 6.1 (5.7–6.7) | 0.05 |
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2), mean (SD) | 68.5 (20.1) | 61.7 (17.6) | <0.001 |
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2), n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| <60 | 1001 (35.3) | 925 (48.4) | |
| ≥60 | 1831 (64.7) | 985 (51.6) | |
| NT‐proBNP, median (IQR) | 1242 (742–2325) | 1.795 (1106–3041) | <0.001 |
| Main cause of HF, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Ischaemic | 1723 (60.8) | 951 (49.8) | |
| Non‐ischaemic | 890 (31.4) | 797 (41.7) | |
| Unknown | 221 (7.8) | 162 (8.5) | |
| Duration of HF, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| 0–3 months | 94 (3.3) | 56 (2.9) | |
| 3–6 months | 260 (9.2) | 133 (7.0) | |
| 6–12 months | 376 (13.3) | 179 (9.4) | |
| 1–2 years | 450 (15.9) | 236 (12.4) | |
| 2–5 years | 652 (23.0) | 453 (23.7) | |
| >5 years | 1002 (35.4) | 853 (44.7) | |
| LVEF, mean (SD) | 30.5 (6.8) | 31.8 (6.7) | <0.001 |
| NYHA class, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| II | 1995 (70.4) | 1208 (63.2) | |
| III | 816 (28.8) | 682 (35.7) | |
| IV | 23 (0.8) | 20 (1.0) | |
| KCCQ‐TSS, mean (SD) | 74.8 (21.5) | 71.9 (22.0) | <0.001 |
| Medical history, n (%) | |||
| History of AF | N/A | 1818 (95.2) | N/A |
| History of atrial flutter | N/A | 226 (11.8) | N/A |
| History of either AF or atrial flutter | N/A | 1885 (98.7) a | N/A |
| Type of AF/atrial flutter b | N/A | ||
| Paroxysmal | N/A | 678 (36.0) | |
| Persistent | N/A | 308 (16.3) | |
| Permanent | N/A | 899 (47.7) | |
| AF/atrial flutter on ECG at enrolment | N/A | 1128 (59.1) | N/A |
| Hospitalization for HF | 1312 (46.3) | 939 (49.2) | 0.05 |
| Hypertension | 2001 (70.6) | 1522 (79.7) | <0.001 |
| Type 2 diabetes | 1308 (46.2) | 831 (43.5) | 0.07 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 307 (10.8) | 278 (14.6) | <0.001 |
| Previous MI | 1391 (49.1) | 701 (36.7) | <0.001 |
| Previous stroke or TIA | 285 (10.1) | 297 (15.5) | <0.001 |
| Peripheral artery disease | 402 (14.2) | 247 (12.9) | 0.22 |
| Treatment, n (%) | |||
| ACEI/ARB | 2400 (84.7) | 1552 (81.3) | 0.002 |
| ARNI | 287 (10.1) | 221 (11.6) | 0.11 |
| ACEI/ARB/ARNI | 2675 (94.4) | 1767 (92.5) | 0.01 |
| Beta‐blocker | 2739 (96.6) | 1819 (95.2) | 0.01 |
| MRA | 2066 (72.9) | 1304 (68.3) | <0.001 |
| Ivabradine | 202 (7.1) | 26 (1.4) | <0.001 |
| Digoxin | 326 (11.5) | 561 (29.4) | <0.001 |
| Amiodarone | 248 (8.8) | 321 (16.8) | <0.001 |
| Class I antiarrhythmic drugs | 6 (0.2) | 9 (0.5) | 0.12 |
| Sotalol | 17 (0.6) | 28 (1.5) | 0.003 |
| Oral anticoagulant c | 372 (13.1) | 1597 (83.6) | <0.001 |
| Antiplatelet d | 2018 (71.2) | 574 (30.1) | <0.001 |
| CRT‐P/CRT‐D | 178 (6.3) | 176 (9.2) | <0.001 |
| ICD/CRT‐D | 670 (23.6) | 572 (29.9) | <0.001 |
| CHA2DS2‐VASc score, mean (SD) | 4.0 (1.6) | 4.3 (1.6) | <0.001 |
| CHA2DS2‐VASc score ≥ 2, n (%) | 2690 (94.9) | 1850 (96.9) | 0.001 |
ACE, angiotensin‐converting enzyme; AF, atrial fibrillation; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; ARNI, angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor; BMI, body mass index; CRT‐D, cardiac resynchronization therapy‐defibrillator; CHA2DS2‐VASc, congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 75 years; diabetes mellitus, prior stroke or transient ischaemic attack or thromboembolism, vascular disease, age 65–74 years, sex category (female); CRT‐P, cardiac resynchronization therapy‐pacemaker; ECG, electrocardiogram; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; HF, heart failure; ICD, implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator; IQR, interquartile range; KCCQ‐TTS, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire total symptom score; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MI, myocardial infarction; MRA, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; N/A, not appropriate; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association; SD, standard deviation; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.
The remaining 1.3% had AF on ECG without a history of AF.
Only recorded for patients with a history of either AF or atrial flutter.
Vitamin K antagonists (warfarin/coumadin) and direct oral anticoagulants (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban).
Aspirin, adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitors (clopidogrel, ticagrelor, prasugrel), and adenosine reuptake inhibitors (dipyridamole).