Table 2.
Baseline clinical characteristics of the study subjects.*)
| Clinical characteristics | Patient group (n = 210) | Control group (n = 200) |
| Male (%) | 96 (46) | 92 (46) |
| Age at the initial AF diagnosis (years) | 53.2±8.7 | NA |
| Age at the time of the study (years) | 56.7±10.1 | 58.3±9.5 |
| Type of AF at presentation | ||
| Paroxysmal AF (%) | 147 (70) | 0 (0) |
| Persistent AF (%) | 38 (18) | 0 (0) |
| Long-lasting persistent AF (%) | 25 (12) | 0 (0) |
| Positive family history of AF (%) | 32 (15) | 0 (0) |
| History of cardioversion (%) | 178 (85) | 0 (0) |
| Implanted cardiac pacemaker (%) | 6 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Resting heart rate (beats per minute) | 76.5±11.8 | 77.2±10.5 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 130.4±12.6 | 131.0±13.3 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 85.8±7.3 | 86.2±8.1 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 22.7±2.0 | 23.0±2.4 |
| Left atrial dimension (mm) | 38.2±3.6 | 37.5±3.9 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 62.8±7.2 | 63.4±6.7 |
| Fasting blood glucose (mmol/L) | 4.5±0.4 | 4.6±0.5 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.2±0.3 | 4.1±0.4 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 1.6±0.2 | 1.5±0.3 |
| Medications | ||
| Amiodarone (%) | 160 (76) | 0 (0) |
| Warfarin (%) | 151 (72) | 0 (0) |
| Digoxin (%) | 44 (21) | 0 (0) |
| Beta-blocker (%) | 17 (8) | 0 (0) |
| Calcium channel blocker (%) | 10 (5) | 0 (0) |
*
There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the patient and control groups.
NA indicates not applicable or not available.