Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients.
| Variables | Women | Men | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) (mean ± SD) | 75.1 ± 9.04 | 77.2 ± 9.73 | <0.001 |
| Type of AF, n (%): | |||
| Paroxysmal | 198 (35.4) | 166 (35.6) | 0.948 |
| Permanent | 248 (44.4) | 224 (48.1) | 0.232 |
| Persistent | 115 (20.2) | 76 (16.3) | 0.091 |
| Concomitant medical history, n (%): | |||
| Hypertension | 457 (82.3) | 364 (78.3) | 0.113 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 161 (29.2) | 171 (36.9) | 0.011 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 144 (25.9) | 120 (25.8) | 1.0 |
| History of stroke/TIA | 138 (25.0) | 127 (27.4) | 0.39 |
| Chronic heart failure | 99 (17.7) | 94 (20.2) | 0.336 |
| History of myocardial infarction | 72 (13.0) | 94 (20.2) | 0.002 |
| History of peripheral artery disease | 36 (6.49) | 56 (12.1) | 0.003 |
| Aortic atherosclerosis | 44 (7.86) | 58 (12.5) | 0.016 |
| Atherosclerosis in other sitesa | 115 (21.3) | 116 (25.2) | 0.153 |
| Pacemaker | 36 (6.45) | 49 (10.5) | 0.023 |
| Smoking | 67 (12.1) | 197(42.4) | <0.001 |
| Alcoholism | 7 (1.25) | 61 (13.1) | <0.001 |
| Previous use of oral anticoagulants, n (%): | 141 (25.5) | 148 (31.9) | 0.026 |
| Previous use of antiplatelets, n (%) | 248 (44.8) | 217 (46.9) | 0.528 |
| Previous use of statins, n (%) | 115 (20.8) | 145 (31.2) | <0.001 |
| Lesion site and size, n (%): | |||
| Small lesion | 187 (33.4) | 192 (41.1) | 0.011 |
| Medium lesion | 202 (36.1) | 166 (35.5) | 0.896 |
| Large anterior lesion | 137 (24.5) | 83 (17.8) | 0.012 |
| Large posterior lesion | 34 (6.1) | 25 (5.4) | 0.687 |
| Leukoaraiosis, n (%) | 261 (47.1) | 165 (35.9) | <0.001 |
| NIHSS, mean ± SD | 8.1 ± 7.5 | 9.2 ± 6.9 | <0.001 |
| Systolic AP, mean ± SD | 148.4 ± 25.2 | 150.1 ± 25.3 | 0.048 |
| Diastolic AP, mean ± SD | 82.8 ± 14.3 | 82.9 ± 14.1 | 0.923 |
| Laboratory data on admission, mean ± SD: | |||
| Hemoglobin (g/dL), mean ± SD | 14.3 ± 14.2 | 14.7 ± 12.3 | 0.65 |
| Glycemia (mg/dL), mean ± SD | 130.5 ± 39.8 | 223.5 ± 48.2 | 0.362 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL), mean ± SD | 171.8 ± 41.3 | 180.6 ± 42.8 | <0.001 |
| INR, mean ± SD | 2.2 ± 3.3 | 3.5 ± 13.6 | 0.152 |
a
Presence of internal carotid/vertebral artery stenosis ≥50%. AF: atrial fibrillation; AP: arterial pressure; INR: International Normalized Ratios at admission for all patients; TIA: transient ischemic attack.