Table 1.
Study Demographics
| Characteristics | Paroxysmal AF | Persistent AF | Control | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (male) | 23 (22) | 20 (20) | 7 (5) | |
| Age (years) | 61±9a | 63±9b | 47±18a,b | 0.01 |
| Duration of AF, months (25–75%) | 40 (13–56) | 55 (16–96) | 0.33 | |
| Left atrial diameter, mm | 41±5 | 47±5b | 35±4b | <0.001 |
| Left ventricular EF, % | 58±8 | 56±12 | 61±12 | 0.58 |
| CHF | 3 (13) | 5 (25) | 0 | 0.35 |
| Hypertension | 14 (61) | 18 (90)b | 1 (14)b | 0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 8 (35) | 5 (25) | 1 (14) | 0.53 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 15 (65)a | 13 (65)b | 0a,b | 0.006 |
| Coronary disease | 8 (35) | 6 (30) | 0 | 0.1 |
| RCA disease | 5 (22) | 2 (10) | 0 | 0.36 |
| Prior Myocardial Infarction | 4 (17) | 3 (15) | 0 | 0.50 |
| Prior PCI | 7 (30) | 2 (10) | 0 | 0.09 |
| CABG | 2 (9) | 2 (10) | 0 | 0.69 |
| COPD | 1 (4) | 3 (15) | 0 | 0.23 |
| Medications | ||||
| Beta-Blocker | 13 (57) | 14 (70) | 2 (29) | 0.16 |
| ACEI/ARB | 13 (57) | 12 (60) | 2 (29) | 0.34 |
| Digoxin | 4 (17) | 4 (20) | 0 | 0.45 |
| Calcium Channel Blockers | 7 (33) | 6 (33) | 1 (33) | 0.93 |
| Flecainide/propafenone | 2 (9) | 1 (5) | 0 | 0.68 |
| Amiodarone | 1 (4) | 2 (10) | 0 | 0.57 |
| Sotalol | 6 (26) | 4 (20) | 0 | 0.32 |
| Dofetilide | 4 (18) | 1 (5) | 0 | 0.23 |
| Coumadin | 17 (74)a | 20 (100)b | 0a,b | <0.001 |
| Aspirin | 6 (26) | 1 (5) | 1 (14) | 0.17 |
| Statin | 15 (65)a | 9 (45) | 0a | 0.01 |
a
denotes paroxysmal AF versus control, p<0.05;
b
denotes persistent AF versus control, p<0.05. Bonferroni correction was made for comparisons within each characteristic.