Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| Characteristic | All NVAF patients (n = 401) | With CE risk factors a (n = 142) | Without CE risk factors (n = 259) | p value | With non-CE risk factors b (n = 183) | Without non-CE risk factors (n = 218) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 68.6±9.6 | 70.16±8.96 | 67.69±9.86 | 0.014 | 71.8±8.2 | 65.8±9.9 | <0.001 |
| Sex (male) | 263 (65.6%) | 94 (66.2%) | 169 (65.3%) | 0.913 | 121 (66.1%) | 142 (65.1%) | 0.916 |
| Persistent AF | 191 (47.5%) | 102 (71.8%) | 88 (34.1%) | <0.001 | 98 (53.6%) | 92 (42.4%) | 0.027 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23.9±3.8 | 24.43±3.39 | 23.58±3.94 | 0.030 | 24.1±4.0 | 23.7±3.6 | 0.259 |
| Heart failure | 39 (9.7%) | 23 (16.2%) | 16 (6.2%) | 0.002 | 22 (12.0%) | 17 (7.8%) | 0.177 |
| Hypertension | 315 (78.6%) | 119 (83.8%) | 196 (75.7%) | 0.075 | 162 (88.5%) | 154 (70.6%) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes | 118 (29.4%) | 47 (33.1%) | 71 (27.4%) | 0.253 | 67 (36.6%) | 51 (23.4%) | 0.004 |
| Previous stroke/TIA | 66 (16.5%) | 27 (19.0%) | 39 (15.1%) | 0.326 | 37 (20.2%) | 29 (13.3%) | 0.078 |
| Previous MI or PAD | 44 (11.0%) | 17 (12.0%) | 27 (10.4%) | 0.621 | 32 (17.5%) | 12 (5.5%) | <0.001 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score | 3.14±1.67 | 3.55±1.5 | 2.92±1.71 | <0.001 | 3.86±1.47 | 2.40±1.51 | <0.001 |
| CACS | 331.6±746.6 | 392.2±763.2 | 298.6±736.8 | 0.232 | 565.2±983.2 | 136.7±367.0 | <0.001 |
| Dyslipidemia | 213 (53.1%) | 71 (50.0%) | 142 (54.8%) | 0.403 | 99 (54.1%) | 114 (52.3%) | 0.763 |
| Current or former smoker | 171 (42.6%) | 64 (45.1%) | 107 (41.3%) | 0.527 | 85 (46.4%) | 86 (39.4%) | 0.188 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 73.5±25.4 | 72.86±23.27 | 73.78±26.51 | 0.730 | 69.0±22.4 | 77.2±27.1 | 0.001 |
| Echocardiography | |||||||
| LA diameter (mm) | 45.5±8.0 | 49.5±7.7 | 43.4±7.3 | <0.001 | 46.7±8.2 | 44.6±7.7 | 0.009 |
| LA volume index (mL/m2) | 47.5±20.1 | 57.9±21.1 | 41.8±17.2 | <0.001 | 49.9±20.6 | 45.5±19.5 | 0.028 |
| LVEF (%) | 62.9±9.4 | 61.0±10.7 | 63.9±8.4 | 0.003 | 63.4±9.3 | 62.5±9.4 | 0.342 |
| Prior medications | |||||||
| Antiplatelet | 156 (38.9%) | 56 (39.4%) | 100 (38.6%) | 0.915 | 69 (37.7%) | 87 (39.9%) | 0.682 |
| Anticoagulant | 104 (25.9%) | 45 (31.7%) | 59 (22.8%) | 0.057 | 49 (26.8%) | 55 (25.2%) | 0.733 |
| Statin | 101 (25.2%) | 40 (28.2%) | 61 (23.6%) | 0.337 | 49 (26.8%) | 52 (23.9%) | 0.564 |
Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation or as n (%). p-values < 0.05 are denoted by bold font.
a CE risk factors: intracardiac thrombus, dense spontaneous echo contrast, or low left atrial appendage flow velocity (mean peak flow velocity ≤20 cm/s);
b non-CE risk factors: intracranial arterial stenosis, significant carotid stenosis, or complex aortic plaque.
AF = atrial fibrillation; CACS = coronary artery calcium score; CE = cardioembolic; eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate; LA = left atrium; LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction; MI = myocardial infarction; NVAF = non-valvular atrial fibrillation; PAD = peripheral artery disease; RWMA = regional wall motion abnormality; TIA = transient ischemic attack.