Table 3.
Patients’ characteristics and AF burden during 6 months
| Characteristics | Low AF burden (N = 50) | Intermediate AF burden (N = 44) | High AF burden (N = 45) | P-value (between groups) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 62 ± 10 | 64 ± 8 | 68 ± 8.8 | 0.005 |
| Male sex | 24 (48%) | 29 (66%) | 28 (62%) | 0.173 |
| Total history AF (years) | 1.8 (0.6–4.8) | 2.9 (0.9–4.6) | 1.9 (0.3–4.0) | 0.530 |
| Heart failure | 13 (26%) | 17 (39%) | 18 (40%) | 0.282 |
| Hypertension | 21 (42%) | 21 (48%) | 19 (42%) | 0.824 |
| Diabetes | 3 (6%) | 1 (2%) | 7 (16%) | 0.056 |
| Coronary artery disease | 3 (6%) | 5 (11%) | 10 (22%) | 0.059 |
| Thrombo-embolic events | 5 (10%) | 3 (7%) | 5 (11%) | 0.770 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 2 (4%) | 3 (7%) | 3 (7%) | 0.801 |
| Number of comorbiditiesa | 1.9 ± 1.2 | 2.3 ± 1.1 | 2.2 ± 1.3 | 0.032 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc scoreb | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.3 | 2.2 ± 1.3 | 0.019 |
| 0 | 9 (18%) | 8 (18%) | 4 (9%) | |
| 1 | 14 (28%) | 18 (41%) | 10 (22%) | |
| 2 | 16 (32%) | 8 (18%) | 11 (24%) | |
| 3 | 9 (18%) | 6 (14%) | 12 (27%) | |
| 4 | 2 (4%) | 2 (5%) | 7 (16%) | |
| 5 | – | 2 (5%) | 1 (2%) | |
| EHRA class | 0.017 | |||
| I | 3 (6%) | 3 (7%) | 7 (16%) | |
| IIa | 21 (42%) | 15 (34%) | 24 (53%) | |
| IIb | 24 (48%) | 18 (41%) | 8 (18%) | |
| III | 2 (4%) | 8 (18%) | 6 (13%) | |
| Height (cm) | 176 ± 10 | 177 ± 11 | 177 ± 11 | 0.785 |
| Weight (kg) | 85 ± 18 | 90 ± 18 | 84 ± 17 | 0.280 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28 ± 5 | 29 ± 5 | 27 ± 5 | 0.253 |
| Obesity (BMI > 30) | 13 (26%) | 11 (25%) | 9 (20%) | 0.768 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 100 ± 14 | 103 ± 12 | 102 ± 13 | 0.486 |
| Blood pressure (mmHg) | ||||
| Systolic | 137 ± 18 | 139 ± 19 | 135 ± 19 | 0.631 |
| Diastolic | 82 ± 9 | 84 ± 10 | 78 ± 8 | 0.012 |
| NT-proBNP (pg/mL) | 32 (12–127) | 46 (22–125) | 53 (24–214) | 0.101 |
| Creatinine (µmol/L) | 79 (68–89) | 83 (74–87) | 83 (73–100) | 0.056 |
| eGFR (mL/min) | 85 (71–90) | 79 (73–87) | 73 (62–86) | 0.020 |
| Medications | ||||
| β-Blocker | 25 (50%) | 21 (48%) | 21 (56%) | 0.748 |
| Verapamil/diltiazem | 6 (12%) | 10 (23%) | 6 (13%) | 0.312 |
| Class I antiarrhythmic drugs | 19 (38%) | 11 (25%) | 5 (11%) | 0.011 |
| Class III antiarrhythmic drugs | 1 (2%) | 3 (7%) | 4 (9%) | 0.332 |
| Digoxin | – | 1 (2%) | 1 (2%) | 0.565 |
| ACE-inhibitor | 8 (16%) | 6 (14%) | 11 (24%) | 0.373 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 6 (12%) | 7 (16%) | 9 (20%) | 0.566 |
| Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist | – | 1 (2%) | 2 (4%) | 0.330 |
| Statin | 13 (26%) | 19 (43%) | 21 (47%) | 0.083 |
| Diuretic | 4 (8%) | 7 (16%) | 5 (11%) | 0.485 |
| Anticoagulant | 0.025 | |||
| Vitamin K antagonist | 5 (10%) | 7 (16%) | 10 (22%) | |
| NOAC | 26 (52%) | 20 (45%) | 28 (62%) | |
| Echocardiographic variables | ||||
| Left atrial volume (mL) | 73 ± 26 | 71 ± 24 | 71 ± 22 | 0.927 |
| Left atrial volume index (mL/m2) | 37 ± 12 | 37 ± 13 | 37 ± 10 | 0.989 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 58 (55–60) | 58 (55–61) | 58 (58–61) | 0.333 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction <45% | 1 (2%) | 1 (2%) | – | 0.611 |
| Left ventricular mass (g) | 152 ± 38 | 177 ± 52 | 165 ± 50 | 0.151 |
| Left ventricular mass index (g/m2) | 73 ± 17 | 84 ± 19 | 83 ± 20 | 0.054 |
| Left ventricular hypertrophy | 1 (2%) | 2 (5%) | 3 (7%) | 0.533 |
| CT | ||||
| Calcium score (Agatston) | 21 (0–161) | 6 (0–96) | 94 (16–360) | 0.012 |
| Vascular assessment | ||||
| IMT–CCA (mm) | 0.71 (0.61–0.80) | 0.74 (0.67–0.91) | 0.78 (0.68–0.91) | 0.029 |
| IMT–all segments (mm) | 0.72 (0.61–0.81) | 0.72 (0.62–0.86) | 0.78 (0.64–0.95) | 0.104 |
| Pulse wave velocity (m/s) | 8.0 (7.2–9.9) | 8.3 (7.5–9.7) | 8.1 (7.3–9.4) | 0.903 |
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; 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).