Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Paroxysmal (N = 14 344) | Persistent (N = 8064) | Permanent (N = 6773) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Male | 7577 (52.8) | 4796 (59.5) | 3833 (56.6) | |
| Female | 6767 (47.2) | 3268 (40.5) | 2940 (43.4) | |
| Age, median (IQR), years | 70.0 (61.0; 77.0) | 70.0 (62.0; 77.0) | 74.0 (66.0; 80.0) | <0.0001 |
| Age group, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| <65 years | 4770 (33.3) | 2464 (30.6) | 1438 (21.2) | |
| 65–74 years | 4747 (33.1) | 2754 (34.2) | 2110 (31.2) | |
| ≥75 years | 4827 (33.7) | 2846 (35.3) | 3225 (47.6) | |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Caucasian | 8375 (60.2) | 4830 (61.0) | 4854 (73.0) | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 775 (5.6) | 485 (6.1) | 699 (10.5) | |
| Asian (not Chinese) | 3835 (27.6) | 2244 (28.4) | 742 (11.2) | |
| Chinese | 693 (5.0) | 237 (3.0) | 221 (3.3) | |
| Afro-Caribbean/Mixed/Other | 240 (1.7) | 117 (1.5) | 130 (2.0) | |
| Vital measures | ||||
| Body mass index, median (IQR), kg/m² | 26.0 (24.0–30.0) | 27.0 (24.0–31.0) | 28.0 (24.0–31.0) | <0.0001 |
| Pulse, median (IQR), b.p.m. | 80.0 (68.0–103.0) | 88.0 (74.0–105.0) | 84.0 (72.0–100.0) | <0.0001 |
| Systolic BP, median (IQR), mm Hg | 130.0 (120.0–145.0) | 130.0 (120.0–144.0) | 134.0 (120.0–145.0) | <0.0001 |
| Diastolic BP, median (IQR), mmHg | 80.0 (70.0-86.0) | 80.0 (70.0–90.0) | 80.0 (70.0–89.0) | <0.0001 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| <40% | 498 (5.7) | 645 (12.4) | 445 (13.1) | |
| ≥40% | 8227 (94.3) | 4557 (87.6) | 2943 (86.9) | |
| Care setting specialty at diagnosis, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Cardiology | 9945 (69.3) | 5516 (68.4) | 3521 (52.0) | |
| Geriatrics | 47 (0.3) | 29 (0.4) | 37 (0.6) | |
| Internal medicine | 2411 (16.8) | 1389 (17.2) | 1523 (22.5) | |
| Neurology | 307 (2.1) | 86 (1.1) | 132 (2.0) | |
| Primary care/general practice | 1634 (11.4) | 1044 (13.0) | 1560 (23.0) | |
| Care setting location at diagnosis, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Anticoagulation clinic/thrombosis centre | 68 (0.5) | 56 (0.7) | 96 (1.4) | |
| Emergency room | 1681 (11.7) | 813 (10.1) | 548 (8.1) | |
| Hospital | 8551 (59.6) | 4843 (60.1) | 3447 (50.9) | |
| Office | 4044 (28.2) | 2352 (29.2) | 2682 (39.6) | |
| Medical history, n (%) | ||||
| Congestive heart failure | 2202 (15.4) | 2033 (25.2) | 1649 (24.4) | <0.0001 |
| Coronary artery disease | 2904 (20.3) | 1514 (18.8) | 1469 (21.7) | <0.0001 |
| Acute coronary syndromes | 1328 (9.3) | 669 (8.3) | 663 (9.8) | 0.0048 |
| Carotid occlusive disease | 450 (3.2) | 216 (2.7) | 255 (3.8) | 0.0007 |
| Pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis | 321 (2.2) | 193 (2.4) | 212 (3.1) | 0.0004 |
| Coronary artery bypass graft | 398 (2.8) | 233 (2.9) | 209 (3.1) | 0.4266 |
| History of stroke | 1182 (8.3) | 581 (7.2) | 572 (8.5) | 0.0074 |
| History of transient ischaemic attack | 639 (4.5) | 312 (3.9) | 385 (5.7) | <0.0001 |
| History of systemic embolism | 87 (0.6) | 65 (0.8) | 53 (0.8) | 0.1506 |
| History of bleeding | 363 (2.5) | 204 (2.5) | 211 (3.1) | 0.0318 |
| History of hypertension | 10 819 (75.5) | 6157 (76.5) | 5300 (78.4) | <0.0001 |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 6019 (43.0) | 3197 (40.9) | 2760 (41.6) | 0.0055 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 2911 (20.3) | 1797 (22.3) | 1574 (23.2) | <0.0001 |
| Hyperthyroidism | 234 (1.7) | 140 (1.8) | 122 (1.8) | 0.6446 |
| Hypothyroidism | 856 (6.1) | 366 (4.6) | 443 (6.6) | <0.0001 |
| Cirrhosis | 59 (0.4) | 58 (0.7) | 40 (0.6) | 0.0081 |
| Vascular disease | 2082 (14.5) | 1058 (13.1) | 1013 (15.0) | 0.0022 |
| Dementia | 173 (1.2) | 111 (1.4) | 142 (2.1) | <0.0001 |
| Moderate-to-severe chronic renal disease | 1347 (10.7) | 809 (11.7) | 901 (15.2) | <0.0001 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Never-smoker | 8742 (67.1) | 4756 (64.2) | 4066 (64.1) | |
| Ex-smoker | 2864 (22.0) | 1839 (24.8) | 1727 (27.2) | |
| Current smoker | 1429 (11.0) | 815 (11.0) | 548 (8.6) | |
| Alcohol consumption, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Abstinent | 6710 (55.3) | 3687 (53.1) | 3009 (51.2) | |
| Light | 3971 (32.7) | 2311 (33.3) | 2177 (37.0) | |
| Moderate | 1189 (9.8) | 749 (10.8) | 560 (9.5) | |
| Heavy | 260 (2.1) | 194 (2.8) | 131 (2.2) | |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score, median (IQR) | 3.0 (2.0; 4.0) | 3.0 (2.0; 4.0) | 3.0 (2.0; 4.0) | <0.0001 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score, mean (SD) | 3.1 (1.6) | 3.1 (1.6) | 3.5 (1.5) | |
| HAS-BLED score, median (IQR)a | 1.0 (1.0; 2.0) | 1.0 (1.0; 2.0) | 1.0 (1.0; 2.0) | <0.0001 |
| HAS-BLED score, mean (SD)a | 1.4 (0.9) | 1.4 (0.9) | 1.5 (0.9) | |
| GARFIELD death score, median (IQR) | 1.8 (1.0; 3.4) | 2.6 (1.4; 5.0) | 3.3 (1.9; 5.8) | <0.0001 |
| GARFIELD death score, mean (SD) | 2.9 (3.6) | 4.3 (5.1) | 4.9 (5.1) | |
| GARFIELD stroke score, median (IQR) | 0.9 (0.6; 1.4) | 0.9 (0.6; 1.4) | 1.0 (0.7; 1.6) | <0.0001 |
| GARFIELD stroke score, mean (SD) | 1.2 (1.0) | 1.2 (1.1) | 1.4 (1.2) | |
| GARFIELD bleeding score, median (IQR) | 0.9 (0.6; 1.3) | 0.9 (0.6; 1.3) | 1.0 (0.8; 1.5) | <0.0001 |
| GARFIELD bleeding score, mean (SD) | 1.0 (0.7) | 1.1 (0.7) | 1.2 (0.7) |
BP, blood pressure; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.
a
The risk factor ‘labile INRs’ is not included in the HAS-BLED score as it is not collected at baseline. As a result, the maximum HAS-BLED score at baseline is 8 points (not 9).