TABLE 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Treatment Groups, After Propensity Score Weighting
| Characteristic | Warfarin (n = 23,431) | Dabigatran (n = 8,539) | Apixaban (n = 3,689) | Rivaroxaban (n = 8,398) | Maximum ASDa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic, % | |||||
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 70 (12.2) | 70 (12.3) | 70 (12.6) | 70 (12.3) | 0.01 |
| < 65 | 33.4 | 33.9 | 33.3 | 33.9 | 0.01 |
| 65-74 | 27.0 | 25.9 | 26.5 | 26.5 | 0.02 |
| ≥ 75 | 39.6 | 40.2 | 40.2 | 39.6 | 0.01 |
| Female | 40.9 | 41.1 | 40.5 | 41.3 | 0.01 |
| Medicare Advantage | 33.4 | 33.3 | 33.0 | 33.7 | 0.01 |
| Residence, region | |||||
| Missing | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.02 |
| Northeast | 18.8 | 18.7 | 18.9 | 18.7 | 0.01 |
| Midwest | 34.5 | 34.6 | 34.4 | 34.4 | 0.00 |
| West | 20.4 | 20.5 | 19.8 | 20.4 | 0.02 |
| South | 24.6 | 24.3 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 0.01 |
| Clinical indicators/medication use at baseline, % | |||||
| Deyo-Charlson comorbidity score, mean (SD) | 4.4 (2.3) | 4.4 (2.3) | 4.5 (2.3) | 4.4 (2.3) | 0.01 |
| HAS-BLED score,b mean (SD) | 2.1 (1.4) | 2.1 (1.4) | 2.1 (1.4) | 2.1 (1.4) | 0.01 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score,c mean (SD) | 3.3 (1.8) | 3.3 (1.9) | 3.3 (1.9) | 3.3 (1.9) | 0.01 |
| Presence of 7 or more comorbiditiesd | 9.5 | 10.0 | 9.6 | 9.9 | 0.01 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 28.4 | 28.5 | 29.4 | 28.3 | 0.02 |
| Hypertension | 59.8 | 60.5 | 60.0 | 60.0 | 0.01 |
| Liver disease | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 0.01 |
| Congestive heart failure | 27.7 | 28.0 | 28.2 | 28.1 | 0.00 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 10.1 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 0.01 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 15.9 | 16.2 | 15.6 | 16.2 | 0.02 |
| Coronary heart disease | 36.2 | 36.5 | 36.6 | 36.3 | 0.01 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 19.9 | 20.1 | 19.8 | 20.1 | 0.01 |
| History of bleeding | 14.9 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 14.2 | 0.02 |
| Helicobacter pylori infection | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.02 |
| NSAID | 9.8 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 0.01 |
| Platelet aggregation inhibitors | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 0.00 |
| Amiodarone | 18.1 | 17.5 | 18.9 | 18.1 | 0.02 |
| Proton pump inhibitors | 34.0 | 35.0 | 24.6 | 28.7 | 0.23 |
aMaximum absolute standardized difference considering all pairwise treatment groups.
bModified HAS-BLED score = 1 point each for hypertension, abnormal liver/renal function, stroke, bleed history, labile INR, elderly (aged > 65 years), drugs (e.g., antiplatelet or NSAIDs), or alcohol excess/abuse. Labile INR was set to missing for all patients, since these data were not available for all patients.
cCHA2DS2-VASc score = 1 point each (except where noted) for history of congestive heart failure, hypertension, aged ≥ 75 years (2 points), diabetes mellitus, previous stroke or TIA or thromboembolism (2 points), vascular disease, sex category, and aged 65-74 years.
dThe number of comorbidities was calculated as the sum of previous history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, pericarditis, dizziness, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, dementia, gait abnormality, major trauma including fractures, anemia, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, and any cancer.
INR = international normalized ratio; NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; SD = standard deviation; TIA = transient ischemic attack.