Table 1. Baseline characteristics at PFOC.

	EC, <9 months (N=325)	DC, ≥9 months (N=171)	P value
Age	49 (40–57)	54 (43–62)	0.001
Female sex	130 (40.1)	75 (43.9)	0.422
Hypertension	69 (21.3)	46 (26.9)	0.160
Dyslipidaemia	80 (24.7)	60 (35.1)	0.015
Diabetes	12 (3.7)	10 (5.9)	0.271
Insulin-dependent	4 (1.2)	2 (1.2)	0.950
Tobacco use			0.090
Active	56 (17.3)	29 (9.0)
Former	41 (24.0)	20 (11.7)
BMI	25.7 (23.2–28.3)	25.1 (22.7–28.1)	0.408
Previous myocardial infarction	4 (1.2)	4 (2.3)	0.456
Previous PCI	4 (1.2)	2 (1.2)	0.950
Peripheral arteriopathy	5 (1.5)	6 (3.5)	0.158
Chronic renal disease	3 (0.9)	2 (1.2)	0.799
Atrial fibrillation	6 (1.9)	6 (3.5)	0.252
LVEF (%)	60 (60–65)	60 (60–62)	0.040
Type of event indicating PFO closure			0.622
Ischaemic stroke	252 (77.8)	135 (79.0)
TIA	63 (19.4)	32 (18.7)
SE	6 (1.9)	4 (2.3)
Multiple embolism	3 (0.9)	0 (0)
Concomitant PE to index event	11 (3.4)	4 (2.3)	0.518
Previous episodes of CVE/SE*			0.147
One episode	30 (9.2)	25 (14.6)
Two episodes	24 (7.4)	9 (5.3)
Thrombophilia tests performed	60 (18.5)	29 (17.0)	0.367
Identified cases of thrombophilia			0.087
Factor V Leiden	4 (6.7)	1 (3.4)
Prothrombin gene mutation	3 5.0)	0 (0)
Protein C deficiency	0 (0)	2 (6.9)
Protein S deficiency	0 (0)	2 (6.9)
MTHFR gene mutation	4 (6.7)	0 (0)
Lupus anticoagulant	7 (11.7)	2 (6.9)

^*Apart from the index event.

BMI, body mass index; CVE/SE, cerebrovascular event or systemic embolism; DCdelayed closureECearly closureLVEF, left ventricle ejection fraction; MTHFR, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase; NA, not applicable (descriptive purposes only); PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; PE, pulmonary embolism; PFOC, patent foramen ovale closure; SE, systemic embolism