Table 1. Baseline characteristics of study patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation*.
| Men (n = 1063) | Women (n = 980) | Total (n = 2043) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 55.1±16.5 | 58.5±16.2 | 56.7±16.4 | NS |
| Age ≥65 years | 325 (30.9) | 390 (39.8) | 718 (35.1) | <.001 |
| Body mass index† (kg/m2) | 27.3±5.3 | 28.6±7.2 | 27.9±6.3 | <.001 |
| Underweight, <18.5 | 19 (1.8) | 31 (3.4) | 50 (2.6) | |
| Normal weight, 18.5–24.9 | 331 (32.8) | 285 (31.1) | 616 (32) | |
| Overweight, 25–30 | 422 (41.8) | 264 (28.8) | 686 (35.7) | |
| Obese, >30 | 236 (23.4) | 334 (36.5) | 570 (27.6) | |
| LA diameter‡, mm | 43.7±9.2 | 45.1±8.9 | 44.3±9.1 | NS |
| First heart rate, bpm | 119.23±33.4 | 118.9±31.1 | 119.0±32.3 | .024 |
| First SBP, mmHg | 129.6±25.9 | 131.2±27.2 | 130.4±26.5 | NS |
| First DBP, mmHg | 79.7±15.8 | 78.4±16.6 | 79.0±16.2 | <.001 |
| Serum creatinine, μmol/L | 110.0±96.7 | 97.4±84.2 | 104.1±91.3 | NS |
| Substances use | ||||
| Tobacco use | 398(37.4) | 67(6.8) | 465(22.7) | <.001 |
| Alcohol consumption (n = 161) | <.001 | |||
| Heavy drinker | 8 (0.7) | 1 (0.1) | 9 (0.4) | |
| Moderate drinker | 25 (2.3) | 1 (0.1) | 26 (1.2) | |
| Occasional drinker | 66 (6.2) | 8 (0.8) | 74 (3.6) | |
| Former drinker | 45 (4.2) | 7 (0.7) | 52 (2.5) | |
| Khat chewing (only in Yemen) | 139 (13.0) | 140 (14.2) | 279 (13.6) | <.001 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Coronary Artery diseases | 318 (29.9) | 258(26.3) | 576(28.1) | .012 |
| Hypertension | 503(47.3) | 570(58.1) | 1073(52.5) | <.001 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 324(30.4) | 356(36.3) | 680(33.2) | <.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 289(27.1) | 317(32.3) | 606(29.6) | <.001 |
| Left ventricular systolic dysfunction | 231(21.7) | 138(14.0) | 369(18.0) | <.001 |
| Pericarditis | 5(0.47) | 3(0.3) | 8(0.4) | .026 |
| Congenital heart disease | 7(0.6) | 7(0.7) | 14(0.6) | NS |
| Rheumatoid heart disease | 107(10.0) | 211(21.5) | 318(15.5) | <.001 |
| Valvular heart disease | 188(17.6) | 206(21.0) | 494(24.1) | <.001 |
| Past history | ||||
| Transient ischemic attack | 30 (2.8) | 48 (4.9) | 78 (3.8) | <.001 |
| Stroke | 91 (8.5) | 95 (9.6) | 186 (9.1) | NS |
| Hemorrhagic | 9 (0.8) | 7 (0.7) | 16 (0.7) | |
| Ischemic | 69 (6.5) | 81 (8.2) | 150 (7.3) | |
| Unknown | 13 (1.2) | 7 (0.7) | 20 (0.9) | |
| Dementia/cognitive defects | 50 (4.7) | 33 (3.3) | 83 (4.0) | .004 |
| Sleep Apnea | 12 (1.1) | 12 (1.2) | 24 (1.1) | NS |
| COPD (emphysema) | 36 (3.3) | 68 (6.9) | 104 (5.0) | <.001 |
| Dialysis | 17 (1.6) | 14 (1.4) | 31 (1.5) | NS |
| Thyroid disease | 28 (2.6) | 75 (7.6) | 103 (5.0) | <.001 |
| Major bleeding | 25 (2.3) | 35 (3.5) | 60 (2.9) | <.001 |
| Type of Atrial fibrillation | NS | |||
| First attack ever | 462 (43.5) | 293 (29.9) | 755 (37.0) | |
| Paroxysmal | 182 (16.9) | 171 (17.4) | 351 (17.2) | |
| Permanent | 287 (27.0) | 389 (39.7) | 676 (33.1) | |
| Persistent | 98 (9.2) | 95 (9.7) | 193 (9.4) | |
| Unknown | 36 (3.4) | 32 (3.3) | 68 (3.3) | |
| CHADS2 score | 1.3±1.3 | 1.6±1.3 | 1.4±1.3 | NS |
| 0 | 355 (33.4) | 227 (23.2) | 582 (28.5) | |
| 1 | 286 (26.9) | 275 (28.1) | 561 (27.5) | |
| ≥2 | 422 (39.7) | 478 (48.7) | 900 (44.0) | |
| Reasons for ER visit | NS | |||
| Atrial fibrillation | 516 (48.5) | 407 (41.5) | 923 (45.2) | |
| Cardiac | 301 (28.3) | 277 (28.3) | 578 (28.3) | |
| Non-cardiac | 246 (23.1) | 296 (30.2) | 542 (26.5) |
NS- not significant, UAE- United Arab emirates, COPD- chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
*Data are expressed as n(%) or mean± standard deviation
†Data of body mass index was missing in 121 patients ((male-1008, female-914; n = 1,922),
‡Data of LA size diameter was missing in 586 patients (n = 1456), CHADS2- Congestive heart failure, hypertension, age, diabetes mellitus, stroke/TIA2.