Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the randomly selected discovery cohort.
| Characteristic | No AF | AF | P-value | Univariable analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 522 | N = 411 | Odds ratio (95% CI) | ||
| Age, years* | 67 (58, 75) | 74 (66, 80) | < 0.001 | 1.043 (1.031, 1.055) |
| Sex, males | 309 (59%) | 256 (62%) | 0.337 | 1.138 (0.873, 1.484) |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Caucasian | 362 (69%) | 350 (85%) | < 0.001 | Reference |
| Asian | 112 (22%) | 31 (8%) | 0.286 (0.187, 0.437) | |
| Afro-Caribbean | 48 (9%) | 30 (7%) | 0.646 (0.400, 1.044) | |
| BMI, kg/m2* | 28.7 (25.5, 32.5) | 29.0 (25.1, 33.1) | 0.627 | 1.008 (0.987, 1.029) |
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2 | 71.7 (26.1) | 67.8 (25.9) | 0.023 | 0.994 (0.989, 0.999) |
| Diabetes | 238 (46%) | 96 (23%) | < 0.001 | 0.364 (0.273, 0.484) |
| Stroke/TIA | 46 (9%) | 38 (9%) | 0.818 | 1.054 (0.672, 1.654) |
| Coronary artery disease | 252 (48%) | 93 (23%) | < 0.001 | 0.313 (0.235, 0.418) |
| Hypertension | 333 (64%) | 218 (53%) | 0.001 | 0.641 (0.493, 0.834) |
| Heart failure | 222 (43%) | 219 (53%) | 0.001 | 1.541 (1.188, 1.999) |
| Admission criteria (inpatient) | 469 (90%) | 293 (71%) | < 0.001 | 0.281 (0.197, 0.400) |
| Medication | ||||
| NOAC | 12 (2%) | 198 (48%) | < 0.001 | 39.507 (21.590, 72.291) |
| VKA | 12 (2%) | 100 (24%) | < 0.001 | 13.666 (7.387, 25.281) |
| Aspirin | 362 (69%) | 101 (25%) | < 0.001 | 0.144 (0.108, 0.193) |
| Antiplatelet agents | 277 (53%) | 76 (19%) | < 0.001 | 0.201 (0.148, 0.272) |
| ACE inhibitors | 194 (37%) | 121 (29%) | 0.013 | 0.705 (0.535, 0.930) |
| Angiotensin II receptor blocker | 82 (16%) | 68 (17%) | 0.730 | 1.064 (0.749, 1.511) |
| Beta-blocker | 306 (59%) | 227 (55%) | 0.299 | 0.871 (0.671, 1.131) |
| Diuretic | 164 (31%) | 172 (42%) | 0.001 | 1.571 (1.200, 2.057) |
| Calcium channel antagonist | 116 (22%) | 66 (16%) | 0.018 | 0.670 (0.479, 0.936) |
| Cardiac glycoside | 3 (1%) | 89 (22%) | < 0.001 | 47.817 (15.007, 152.360) |
| Aldosterone antagonist | 37 (7%) | 33 (8%) | 0.588 | 1.144 (0.702, 1.865) |
| Antiarrhythmics | 8 (2%) | 37 (9%) | < 0.001 | 6.356 (2.926, 13.807) |
| Biomarkers | ||||
| ANGPT2 (ng/mL)* | 2.36 (1.73, 3.45) | 3.64 (2.28, 6.14) | < 0.001 | 1.243 (1.177, 1.313) |
| BMP10 (ng/mL)* | 1.95 (1.70, 2.32) | 2.35 (1.94, 2.94) | < 0.001 | 2.953 (2.348, 3.715) |
| CRP (mg/L)* | 4.95 (1.63, 18.89) | 4.19 (1.57, 15.59) | 0.386 | 0.999 (0.996, 1.001) |
| CA125 (per 10 U/mL)* | 1.23 (0.82, 2.01) | 1.57 (0.95, 3.40) | < 0.001 | 1.050 (1.020, 1.081) |
| ESM1 (ng/mL)* | 2.01 (1.47, 2.91) | 2.36 (1.78, 3.43) | < 0.001 | 1.137 (1.062, 1.218) |
| FGF23 (per 100 pg/mL)* | 1.65 (1.05, 2.69) | 1.97 (1.35, 4.16) | < 0.001 | 1.050 (1.023, 1.077) |
| FABP3 (per 10 ng/mL)* | 3.53 (2.63, 5.19) | 3.77 (2.82, 5.92) | 0.017 | 1.001 (0.986, 1.016) |
| GDF15 (per 100 pg/mL)* | 18.71 (11.42, 31.08) | 21.29 (13.41, 35.22) | 0.004 | 1.004 (1.000, 1.009) |
| IGFBP7 (ng/mL)* | 96.23 (82.74, 115.30) | 110.17 (91.65, 140.09) | < 0.001 | 1.010 (1.006, 1.013) |
| IL6 (pg/mL)* | 6.38 (3.31, 14.66) | 6.49 (3.37, 14.69) | 0.691 | 1.001 (0.995, 1.008) |
| NTproBNP (per 100 pg/mL)* | 4.21 (1.08, 14.34) | 11.20 (3.51, 28.61) | < 0.001 | 1.006 (1.002, 1.009) |
| TnT (per 100 pg/mL)* | 0.30 (0.12, 1.09) | 0.22 (0.12, 0.50) | 0.001 | 0.963 (0.943, 0.984) |
Categorical variables are reported as n (%), continuous variables are reported as mean (standard deviation) or median (quartile 1, quartile 3) for skewed distributions (*). The independent t-test (or Mann–Whitney U test for skewed distributions) and Χ2 tests were used to compare characteristics between patients. eGFR was estimated using the CKD-EPI equation.
BMI body mass index, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate, TIA transient ischemic attack, NOAC non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant, VKA vitamin K antagonist, ACE angiotensin-converting enzyme, ANGPT2 angiopoietin 2, BMP10 bone morphogenetic protein 10, CRP high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, CA125 cancer antigen 125, ESM1 endothelial cell specific molecule 1, FGF23 fibroblast growth factor 23, FABP3 fatty acid binding protein 3, GDF15 growth differentiation factor 15, IGFBP7 insulin like growth factor binding protein 7, IL6 interleukin 6, NTproBNP N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, TnT high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T.