Table 2.
Patients’ characteristics and longest AF episode duration during 6-month follow-up
| Characteristics | Short episodes (N = 45) | Intermediate episodes (N = 38) | Long episodes (N = 56) | P-value (between groups) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 63 ± 10 | 63 ± 10 | 67 ± 7 | 0.068 |
| Male sex | 17 (38%) | 23 (61%) | 41 (73%) | 0.002 |
| Total history AF (years) | 2.1 (0.7–4.5) | 1.8 (0.4–3.9) | 2.5 (0.6–4.8) | 0.384 |
| Heart failure | 9 (20%) | 16 (42%) | 23 (41%) | 0.044 |
| Hypertension | 20 (44%) | 13 (34%) | 28 (50%) | 0.317 |
| Diabetes | 3 (7%) | 1 (3%) | 7 (13%) | 0.205 |
| Coronary artery disease | 3 (7%) | 3 (8%) | 12 (21%) | 0.049 |
| Thrombo-embolic events | 6 (13%) | 3 (8%) | 4 (7%) | 0.533 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 2 (4%) | 2 (5%) | 4 (7%) | 0.836 |
| Number of comorbiditiesa | 1.9 ± 1.2 | 2.0 ± 1.2 | 2.7 ± 1.4 | 0.007 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc scoreb | 1.9 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.4 | 1.9 ± 1.2 | 0.407 |
| 0 | 4 (9%) | 11 (29%) | 6 (11%) | |
| 1 | 14 (31%) | 10 (26%) | 18 (32%) | |
| 2 | 14 (31%) | 7 (18%) | 14 (25%) | |
| 3 | 10 (22%) | 5 (13%) | 12 (21%) | |
| 4 | 2 (4%) | 4 (11%) | 5 (9%) | |
| 5 | 1 (2%) | 1 (3%) | 1 (2%) | |
| EHRA class | 0.965 | |||
| I | 4 (9%) | 3 (8%) | 6 (11%) | |
| IIa | 17 (38%) | 17 (45%) | 26 (46%) | |
| IIb | 22 (49%) | 15 (40%) | 13 (23%) | |
| III | 2 (4%) | 3 (8%) | 11 (20%) | |
| Height (cm) | 173 ± 10 | 176 ± 11 | 178 ± 11 | 0.057 |
| Weight (kg) | 82 ± 18 | 86 ± 16 | 90 ± 18 | 0.084 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27 ± 5 | 28 ± 4 | 28 ± 5 | 0.353 |
| Obesity (BMI > 30) | 9 (20%) | 8 (21%) | 16 (29%) | 0.543 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 97 ± 13 | 101 ± 11 | 105 ± 13 | 0.010 |
| Blood pressure (mmHg) | ||||
| Systolic | 135 ± 18 | 139 ± 20 | 136 ± 18 | 0.675 |
| Diastolic | 80 ± 10 | 82 ± 10 | 81 ± 8 | 0.616 |
| NT-proBNP (pg/mL) | 33 (14–130) | 62 (23–165) | 48 (22–197) | 0.312 |
| Creatinine (µmol/L) | 76 (67–85) | 80 (71–92) | 86 (77–95) | 0.009 |
| eGFR (mL/min) | 83 (69–90) | 79 (66–86) | 76 (65–87) | 0.297 |
| Medications | ||||
| β-Blocker | 21 (47%) | 18 (47%) | 32 (57%) | 0.501 |
| Verapamil/diltiazem | 6 (13%) | 9 (24%) | 7 (13%) | 0.296 |
| Class I antiarrhythmic drugs | 17 (38%) | 11 (29%) | 7 (13%) | 0.012 |
| Class III antiarrhythmic drugs | 2 (4%) | 1 (3%) | 5 (9%) | 0.393 |
| Digoxin | 1 (2%) | – | 1 (2%) | 0.671 |
| ACE-inhibitor | 7 (16%) | 5 (13%) | 13 (23%) | 0.403 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 5 (11%) | 5 (13%) | 12 (21%) | 0.321 |
| Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist | – | 1 (3%) | 2 (4%) | 0.458 |
| Statin | 14 (31%) | 8 (21%) | 31 (55%) | 0.002 |
| Diuretic | 4 (9%) | 4 (11%) | 8 (15%) | 0.683 |
| Anticoagulant | 0.128 | |||
| Vitamin K antagonist | 5 (9%) | 5 (13%) | 12 (21%) | |
| NOAC | 24 (53%) | 18 (47%) | 32 (57%) | |
| Echocardiographic variables | ||||
| Left atrial volume (mL) | 71 ± 25 | 71 ± 23 | 72 ± 24 | 0.973 |
| Left atrial volume index (mL/m2) | 37 ± 13 | 37 ± 11 | 36 ± 11 | 0.850 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 58 (55–60) | 58 (55–62) | 58 (55–61) | 0.573 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction < 45% | 1 (2%) | 1 (3%) | – | 0.498 |
| Left ventricular mass (g) | 141 ± 36 | 166 ± 36 | 178 ± 55 | 0.009 |
| Left ventricular mass index (g/m2) | 74 ± 14 | 78 ± 18 | 85 ± 21 | 0.046 |
| Left ventricular hypertrophy | 1 (2%) | 1 (3%) | 4 (7%) | 0.402 |
| CT | ||||
| Calcium score (Agatston) | 20 (0–149) | 6 (0–143) | 58 (1–299) | 0.090 |
| Vascular assessment | ||||
| IMT–CCA (mm) | 0.71 (0.62–0.82) | 0.72 (0.63–0.89) | 0.76 (0.69–0.89) | 0.192 |
| IMT–all segments (mm) | 0.71 (0.62–0.79) | 0.72 (0.62–0.87) | 0.77 (0.64–0.94) | 0.101 |
| Pulse wave velocity (m/s) | 7.9 (7.2–9.8) | 7.9 (7.4–10.0) | 8.3 (7.4–9.4) | 0.976 |
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation, number of patients (%), or median (interquartile range).
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; AF, atrial fibrillation; BMI, body mass index; CT, computed tomography; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; EHRA, European Heart Rhythm Association class for symptoms; IMT, intima media thickness; NOAC, novel oral anticoagulation; NT-pro BNP, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide
The number of comorbidities was calculated by awarding points for hypertension, heart failure, age >65 years, diabetes mellitus; coronary artery disease, BMI > 25kg/m2, moderate or severe mitral valve regurgitation and kidney dysfunction (eGFR < 60).
The CHA2DS2-VASc score assesses thrombo-embolic risk. C, congestive heart failure/LV dysfunction, H, hypertension; A2, age ≥75 years; D, diabetes mellitus; S2, stroke/transient ischaemic attack/systemic embolism; V, vascular disease; A, age 65–74 years; Sc, sex category (female sex).