Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic AF
| Characteristics | Asymptomatic (n = 4505) | Symptomatic (n = 48 025) | Total population | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 69.5 (12.1) | 69.2 (12.0) | 69.2 (12.0) | 0.353 |
| Age, years, n (%) | 0.335 | |||
| ≤64 | 1455 (32.3) | 15 617 (32.5) | 17 072 (32.5) | |
| 65–74 | 1337 (29.7) | 14 648 (30.5) | 15 985 (30.4) | |
| ≥75 | 1713 (38.0) | 17 760 (37.0) | 19 473 (37.1) | |
| Length of stay (SD) | 9.90 (6.3) | 9.41 (5.7) | 9.45 (5.7) | <0.001 |
| Male, n (%) | 2872 (63.8) | 26 725 (55.6) | 29 597 (56.3) | <0.001 |
| Han nationality, n (%) | 4403 (97.7) | 46 782 (97.4) | 51 185 (97.4) | 0.188 |
| Tertiary hospitals, n (%) | 3640 (80.8) | 41 324 (86.0) | 44 964 (85.6) | <0.001 |
| Medical insurance, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| High cover | 2974 (66.0) | 29 985 (62.4) | 32 959 (62.7) | |
| Moderate cover | 831 (18.4) | 9321 (19.4) | 10 152 (19.3) | |
| Low cover | 700 (15.5) | 8719 (18.2) | 9419 (17.9) | |
| Medical history, n (%) | ||||
| Drinking | 570 (12.7) | 5814 (12.1) | 6384 (12.2) | 0.283 |
| Smoking | 1079 (24.0) | 9992 (20.8) | 11 071 (21.1) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 2586 (57.4) | 26 674 (55.5) | 29 260 (55.7) | 0.016 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 837 (18.6) | 8248 (17.2) | 9085 (17.3) | 0.017 |
| CAD | 2502 (55.5) | 11 902 (24.8) | 14 404 (27.4) | <0.001 |
| Stroke or TIA | 805 (17.9) | 6303 (13.1) | 7108 (13.5) | <0.001 |
| PAD | 104 (2.3) | 744 (1.5) | 848 (1.6) | <0.001 |
| Heart failure | 431 (9.6) | 5681 (11.8) | 6112 (11.6) | <0.001 |
| Major bleed | 92 (2.0) | 714 (1.5) | 806 (1.5) | 0.004 |
| COPD | 238 (5.3) | 2169 (4.5) | 2407 (4.6) | 0.019 |
| Prior MI | 245 (5.4) | 1959 (4.1) | 2204 (4.2) | <0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 102 (2.3) | 1125 (2.3) | 1227 (2.3) | 0.739 |
| Heart rate, b.p.m. (SD) | 85.3 (23.3) | 88.7 (26.0) | 88.4 (25.8) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 (SD) | 24.5 (3.7) | 24.5 (3.85) | 24.5 (3.8) | 0.040 |
| Blood pressure, median (SD) | ||||
| SBP, mmHg | 79.0 (13.9) | 79.6 (13.8) | 79.6 (13.8) | 0.446 |
| DBP, mmHg | 131.9 (21.7) | 131.2 (20.9) | 131.3 (21.0) | 0.001 |
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2 (SD) | 89.7 (47.5) | 90.9 (50.6) | 90.8 (50.3) | 0.135 |
| Left atrial diameter, mm (SD) | 41.8 (8.1) | 41.6 (7.9) | 41.7 (8.0) | 0.689 |
| LVEF, % (SD) | 57.7 (11.1) | 57.2 (11.4) | 57.2 (11.4) | 0.010 |
| LVEF ≤ 40%, n (%) | 330 (7.3) | 4216 (8.8) | 4546 (8.7) | 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L | 4.0 (1.4) | 4.1 (2.1) | 4.1 (2.0) | 0.002 |
| LDL-cholesterol, mmol/L | 2.4 (0.9) | 2.3 (0.9) | 2.3 (0.9) | 0.951 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score, median (SD) | 3.1 (1.8) | 3.1 (1.7) | 3.1 (1.7) | 0.067 |
| HAS-BLED risk score, median (SD) | 1.3 (0.9) | 1.2 (0.9) | 1.3 (0.9) | <0.001 |
| AF type, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| First diagnosed | 1076 (23.9) | 9811 (20.4) | 10 887 (20.7) | |
| Paroxysmal | 1564 (34.7) | 19 822 (41.3) | 21 386 (40.7) | |
| Persistent | 1098 (24.4) | 11 704 (24.4) | 12 802 (24.4) | |
| Long-standing persistent/permanent | 767 (17.0) | 6688 (13.9) | 7455 (14.2) | |
| Prior treatment, n (%) | ||||
| Prior concomitant with anti-platelet | 416 (9.2) | 3561 (7.4) | 3977 (7.6) | <0.001 |
| Prior treatment with anti-coagulant | 719 (16.0) | 8144 (17.0) | 8863 (16.9) | 0.087 |
| Prior anti-arrhythmic drugs | 263 (5.8) | 4464 (9.3) | 4727 (9.0) | <0.001 |
| Prior catheter ablation | 120 (2.7) | 1755 (3.7) | 1875 (3.6) | 0.001 |
| Prior electric cardioversion | 37 (0.8) | 693 (1.4) | 730 (1.4) | 0.001 |
| Prior surgical ablation | 11 (0.2) | 109 (0.2) | 120 (0.2) | 0.817 |
AF, atrial fibrillation; BMI, body mass index; CAD, coronary artery disease; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MI, myocardial infarction; PAD, peripheral artery disease; SBP, systolic blood pressure; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.