Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| VKA | Dabigatran | Rivaroxaban | Apixaban | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | 18094 (41.8) | 12613 (29.1) | 5693 (13.2) | 6899 (15.9) | |
| Males (%) | 10265 (56.7) | 6938 (55.0) | 2838 (49.9) | 3439 (49.8) | <0.001 |
| Age (mean [SD]) | 72.05 (11.25) | 71.54 (11.01) | 74.34 (11.14) | 75.29 (11.10) | <0.001 |
| Age groups (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| <65 | 4005 (22.1) | 3053 (24.2) | 979 (17.2) | 1051 (15.2) | |
| 65 to 74 | 6028 (33.3) | 4467 (35.4) | 1885 (33.1) | 2146 (31.1) | |
| 75 to 84 | 5671 (31.3) | 3507 (27.8) | 1656 (29.1) | 2156 (31.3) | |
| ≥85 | 2390 (13.2) | 1586 (12.6) | 1173 (20.6) | 1546 (22.4) | |
| CHADS2 (mean [SD]) | 1.54 (1.24) | 1.40 (1.19) | 1.57 (1.25) | 1.66 (1.26) | <0.001 |
| CHA2DS2- VASc (mean [SD]) | 2.89 (1.64) | 2.70 (1.58) | 2.99 (1.60) | 3.11 (1.60) | <0.001 |
| HAS-BLED (mean [SD]) | 2.16 (1.22) | 2.00 (1.16) | 2.14 (1.15) | 2.20 (1.19) | <0.001 |
| High dose | — | 7503 (59.5) | 4028 (70.8) | 4352 (63.1) | <0.001 |
| Low dose | — | 5110 (40.5) | 1665 (29.2) | 2547 (36.9) | <0.001 |
| Comorbidities (%) | |||||
| Stroke | 2633 (14.6) | 1950 (15.5) | 1024 (18.0) | 1429 (20.7) | <0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 1963 (10.8) | 881 (7.0) | 353 (6.2) | 505 (7.3) | <0.001 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 4682 (25.9) | 2487 (19.7) | 1115 (19.6) | 1454 (21.1) | <0.001 |
| Peripheral artery disease | 757 (4.2) | 310 (2.5) | 178 (3.1) | 230 (3.3) | <0.001 |
| Heart failure | 3522 (19.5) | 1818 (14.4) | 874 (15.4) | 1077 (15.6) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 2451 (13.5) | 1403 (11.1) | 662 (11.6) | 885 (12.8) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 8475 (46.8) | 5499 (43.6) | 2525 (44.4) | 2953 (42.8) | <0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 1367 (7.6) | 242 (1.9) | 208 (3.7) | 315 (4.6) | <0.001 |
| Abnormal liver function | 303 (1.7) | 131 (1.0) | 70 (1.2) | 102 (1.5) | <0.001 |
| Bleeding | 2131 (11.8) | 1336 (10.6) | 617 (10.8) | 912 (13.2) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol abuse | 540 (3.0) | 396 (3.1) | 183 (3.2) | 240 (3.5) | 0,246 |
| Concomitant medication (%) | |||||
| ADP receptor antagonists | 1784 (9.9) | 1072 (8.5) | 580 (10.2) | 771 (11.2) | <0.001 |
| Aspirin | 7712 (42.6) | 4766 (37.8) | 2149 (37.7) | 2456 (35.6) | <0.001 |
| Dipyridamole | 663 (3.7) | 333 (2.6) | 159 (2.8) | 199 (2.9) | <0.001 |
| Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs | 2668 (14.7) | 1882 (14.9) | 824 (14.5) | 976 (14.1) | 0,493 |
| Loop diuretics | 3983 (22.0) | 1876 (14.9) | 1000 (17.6) | 1288 (18.7) | <0.001 |
| Beta-blockers | 8056 (44.5) | 4821 (38.2) | 2206 (38.7) | 2533 (36.7) | <0.001 |
| Calcium channel blockers | 5170 (28.6) | 3294 (26.1) | 1528 (26.8) | 1811 (26.3) | <0.001 |
| Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors | 7808 (43.2) | 5270 (41.8) | 2331 (40.9) | 2935 (42.5) | 0,011 |
| Digoxin | 1327 (7.3) | 860 (6.8) | 436 (7.7) | 426 (6.2) | 0,002 |
Numbers and percentages of first-time initiators of vitamin K antagonists (VKA), dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban from 22 August 2011 to 31 December 2015.