Table 1. Clinical characteristics of study patients.
| Sinus Rhythm | Paroxysmal AF | Persistent AF | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 527) | (n = 28) | (n = 32) | ||
| Age, years | 64 ± 11 | 70 ± 10† | 70 ± 10† | 0.001 |
| Female | 178 (34%) | 10 (36%) | 9 (28%) | 0.80 |
| Obesity | 237 (45%) | 16 (57%) | 15 (47%) | 0.45 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 294 (56%) | 16 (57%) | 16 (50%) | 0.82 |
| Hypertension | 426 (80%) | 25 (89%) | 27 (84%) | 0.50 |
| Dyslipidemia | 434 (82%) | 20 (71%) | 22 (69%) | 0.06 |
| Myocardial infarction | 111 (21%) | 10 (36%) | 5 (16%) | 0.13 |
| Heart failure | 29 (6%) | 10 (36%)† | 12 (38%)† | <0.001 |
| Valvular heart disease | 28 (5%) | 4 (14%) | 4 (13%) | 0.03 |
| Renal impairment | 110 (21%) | 10 (36%) | 12 (38%)† | 0.02 |
| Cigarette smoking | 75 (14%) | 3 (11%) | 1 (3%) | 0.19 |
| Stroke | 20 (4%) | 2 (7%) | 5 (16%)† | 0.01 |
| Medications | ||||
| Warfarin | 10 (2%) | 5 (18%)† | 24 (75%)†‡ | <0.001 |
| Antiplatelet | 392 (74%) | 20 (71%) | 10 (31%)†‡ | <0.001 |
| Beta-blocker | 245 (47%) | 18 (64%) | 22 (69%)† | 0.01 |
| Antiarrhythmic | 3 (0.6%) | 11 (39%)† | 5 (16%)†‡ | <0.001 |
| ACEi or ARB | 366 (69%) | 24 (86%) | 21 (66%) | 0.15 |
| Diuretic | 183 (35%) | 17 (61%)† | 21 (66%)† | <0.001 |
| Statin | 387 (73%) | 20 (71%) | 17 (53%)† | 0.05 |
| Insulin | 145 (28%) | 4 (14%) | 6 (19%) | 0.20 |
| Physical Parameters | ||||
| Heart rate, beats/min | 67 ± 13 | 65 ± 14 | 79 ± 21†‡ | <0.001 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 133 ± 23 | 139 ± 21 | 132 ± 23 | 0.43 |
| LV dysfunction | 77 (15%) | 7 (26%) | 9 (29%) | 0.05 |
| Biochemical Parameters | ||||
| Renal impairment | 80 ± 28 | 74±29 | 67±24† | 0.02 |
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 2.4 ± 1.0 | 2.2 ± 1.0 | 2.2 ± 1.0 | 0.36 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 2.7 (1.2, 5.3) | 7.3 (2.0, 11.2)† | 4.6 (1.3, 8.3) | 0.03 |
| Serum sRAGE, pg/ml | 782 (576, 1039) | 799 (583, 1033) | 1190 (724, 2041)†‡ | 0.001 |
| Serum esRAGE, pg/ml | 289 (192, 412) | 279 (201, 433) | 452 (288, 932)†‡ | 0.001 |
Subgroup analysis:
† p <0.05 vs. sinus rhythm
‡ p <0.05 vs. paroxysmal AF.
Values are total numbers and proportion (%), mean ± SD, or median (25, 75th percentile). ACEi = angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; AF = atrial fibrillation; ARB = angiotensin II receptor blocker; BP = blood pressure; LDL = low-density lipoprotein; LV = left ventricular; RAGE = receptor for advanced glycation end products.