Table 2.
Baseline Characteristics of Patients With DOAC and VKA Therapy
| VKA n = 2,256 | DOAC n = 2,656 | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age in years | 78 (71–84) | 77 (71–84) | 0.17 |
| Sex female | 1,060 (47.0%) | 1,274 (48.0%) | 0.35 |
| Index stroke | |||
| Acute ischemic stroke | 2,178 (96.5%) | 2,561 (96.4%) | 0.82 |
| TIA | 78 (3.5%) | 95 (3.6%) | |
| NIHSS at onset | 6 (2–16) | 4 (2–10) | <0.001** |
| Intravenous thrombolysis | 385 of 2,192 (17.6%) | 626 of 2,630 (23.8%) | <0.001** |
| Endovascular treatment | 89 of 2,256 (3.9%) | 90 of 2,656 (3.4%) | 0.30 |
| Time from index stroke to start of anticoagulation therapy (in days) | 5 (2–14) | 5 (2–11) | 0.53 |
| Risk factors | |||
| History of ischemic stroke (before index event) | 544 of 2,255 (24.1%) | 600 of 2,655 (22.6%) | 0.21 |
| History of intracranial hemorrhage | 26 of 1,701 (1.5%) | 19 of 1,744 (1.1%) | 0.26 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 610 of 2,251 (27.1%) | 596 of 2,651 (22.5%) | <0.001** |
| Hypertension | 1,669 of 2,242 (74.4%) | 2,002 of 2,648 (75.6%) | 0.35 |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 842 of 2,208 (38.1%) | 739 of 1,826 (40.5%) | 0.13 |
| Impaired renal functiona | 529 of 1,717 (30.8%) | 530 of 1,748 (30.3%) | 0.78 |
| Current smoking | 325 of 2,213 (14.7%) | 456 of 2,571 (17.7%) | 0.04* |
| CHA2DS2‐Vasc | 5 (4–6) | 5 (4–6) | 0.43 |
| HAS‐BLED | 3 (3–4) | 3 (2–4) | 0.21 |
| Concomitant antiplatelet agents | 826 of 2,073 (39.8%) | 826 of 2,207 (37.4%) | 0.10 |
| Concomitant statins | 230 of 935 (24.6%) | 280 of 1,036 (27.0%) | 0.22 |
Categorical variables are given in number of patients having the characteristic/total patients available for analysis and (%).
Continuous variables are displayed in median (interquartile range).
a
Impaired renal function defined as creatinine clearance of <60ml/min/1.73m2.
* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.001.
TIA = transient ischemic attack; NIHSS = National Institute of Health Stroke Severity Scale.