Table 2.
Patient characteristics in the Prescription-Dispensation (PD) cohort and in the Dispensation-only cohorts with at least one (D1) or two (D2) prescriptions filled as inclusion criteria.
| PD Cohort | D1 Cohort | D2 Cohort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 38,026 | 37,744 | 35,412 |
| Age; mean (SD) | 74.12 (9.85) | 74.12 (9.83) | 74.35 (9.55) |
| Female; n (%) | 18,018 (47.38) | 17,891 (47.40) | 16,950 (47.87) |
| Baseline risk of stroke (CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASC) and bleeding (HAS-BLED) | |||
| CHADS2 score [0–6]; mean (SD) | 2.11 (1.25) | 2.08 (1.24) | 2.11 (1.23) |
| CHA2DS2-VASC score [0–9]; mean (SD) | 3.71 (1.67) | 3.66 (1.66) | 3.70 (1.64) |
| HAS BLED score [0–9]; mean (SD) | 2.87 (1.18) | 2.81 (1.78) | 2.83 (1.16) |
| Diagnosis | |||
| Atrial fibrillation; n (%) | 35,784 (94.10) | 35,518 (94.10) | 33,387 (94.28) |
| Atrial flutter; n (%) | 2,242 (5.90) | 2,226 (5.90) | 2,025 (5.72) |
| Comorbidities and clinical history | |||
| Hypertension; n (%) | 30,171 (79.34) | 29,608 (78.44) | 28,046 (79.20) |
| Diabetes; n (%) | 13,070 (34.37) | 12,735 (33.74) | 12,063 (34.06) |
| Coronary disease; n (%) | 6,705 (17.63) | 6,437 (17.05) | 6,001 (16.95) |
| Congestive heart failure; n (%) | 6,166 (16.22) | 5,896 (15.62) | 5,539 (15.64) |
| Malignancy; n (%) | 5,238 (13.77) | 5,120 (13.77) | 4,795 (13.54) |
| Previous ischemic stroke or TIA; n (%) | 5,232 (13.76) | 5,064 (13.42) | 4,844 (13.68) |
| Depression; n (%) | 5,123 (13.47) | 4,984 (13.20) | 4,721 (13.33) |
| Renal disease; n (%) | 4,532 (11.92) | 4,392 (11.64) | 4,063 (11.47) |
| Liver disease; n (%) | 2,761 (7.26) | 2,665 (7.06) | 2,470 (6.98) |
| Thromboembolism; n (%) | 2,624 (6.90) | 2,415 (6.40) | 2,245 (6.34) |
| Dementia; n (%) | 2,876 (7.01) | 2,828 (6.95) | 2,157 (6.09) |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding; n (%) | 1,581 (4.16) | 1,483 (3.93) | 1,366 (3.86) |
| Intracranial hemorrhage; n (%) | 296 (0.78) | 288 (0.76) | 265 (0.75) |
| Other bleeding; n (%) | 8,416 (22.13) | 8,012 (21.23) | 7,460 (21.07) |
| Medication use in the year previous to the index date | |||
| ASA; n (%) | 14,456 (38.02) | 14,342 (38.00) | 13,434 (37.94) |
| NSAIDs; n (%) | 7,098 (18.67) | 7,046 (18.67) | 6,561 (18.53) |
| Clopidogrel; n (%) | 1,645 (4.33) | 1,628 (4.31) | 1,561 (4.41) |
| ASA + Clopidogrel; n (%) | 1,568 (4.12) | 1,554 (4.12) | 1,426 (4.03) |
| Other antiplatelet drugs; n (%) | 1,162 (3.06) | 1,151 (3.05) | 1,094 (3.09) |
| Events during the 1st year of follow-up | |||
| Hospital admission for stroke | 337 (0.89) | 325 (0.86) | 301 (0.85) |
| Hospital admission for bleeding | 409 (1.08) | 402 (1.07) | 330 (0.93) |
TIA, transient ischemic attack; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; ASA, acetylsalicylic acid; PD, prescription-dispensation cohort; D1, dispensation cohort with at least 1 prescription filled; D2, dispensation cohort with at least 2 prescription filled separated by 6 months.