Table 1.
Characteristics of participants at entry, and of participants with atrial fibrillation at diagnosis, in each time period
| All participants | Participants with atrial fibrillation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time period 1 (1972-85; n=5671) | Time period 2 (1986-2000; n=6177) | Time period 3 (2001-15; n=6174) | Time period 1 (1972-85; n=305) | Time period 2 (1986-2000; n=596) |
Time period 3 (2001-15; n=468) | ||
| Age (years) | 59.0 (10.5) | 59.9 (12.2) | 61.0 (12.5) | 74.4 (9.5) | 76.6 (10.5) | 77.8 (10.7) | |
| Sex (% women) | 54.6 (n=3094) | 56.2 (n=3474) | 56.7 (n=3501) | 48.2 (n=147) | 45.8 (n=273) | 45.7 (n=214) | |
| Education (%) | |||||||
| No high school degree | 26.6 (n=1415) | 15.3 (n=867) | 4.9 (n=278) | 42.5 (n=122) | 28.6 (n=160) | 10.5 (n=47) | |
| High school degree only | 34.1 (n=1810) | 31.2 (n=1776) | 23.7 (n=1353) | 28.9 (n=83) | 33.1 (n=185) | 32.7 (n=147) | |
| Some college | 21.3 (n=1130) | 25.2 (n=1435) | 29.6 (n=1685) | 16.7 (n=48) | 30.6 (n=115) | 22.5 (n=101) | |
| College graduate | 18.0 (n=956) | 28.3 (n=1610) | 41.8 (n=2380) | 11.9 (n=34) | 17.7 (n=99) | 34.3 (n=154) | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 134 (21) | 132 (21) | 126 (18) | 145 (23) | 142 (22) | 135 (20) | |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 80 (11) | 78 (10) | 75 (10) | 77 (12) | 74 (11) | 71 (11) | |
| Hypertension treatment (%) | 18.9 (n=1070) | 26.3 (n=1616) | 36.3 (n=2227) | 44.4 (n=134) | 56.5 (n=331) | 65.3 (n=303) | |
| Body mass index | 26.4 (4.3) | 27.0 (4.9) | 28.1 (5.6) | 26.3 (4.5) | 27.7 (4.9) | 28.8 (5.6) | |
| Current smoker (%) | 32.1 (n=1789) | 20.0 (n=1230) | 10.3 (n=635) | 20.1 (n=59) | 12.5 (n=74) | 6.6 (n=31) | |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 5.7 (n=304) | 6.8 (n=402) | 10.8 (n=628) | 12.3 (n=35) | 17.7 (n=83) | 22.6 (n=92) | |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.6 (1.1) | 4.9 (0.9) | 5.7 (1.3) | 5.2 (1.1) | 4.6 (0.9) | |
| Use of statins (%) | 1.8 (n=99) | 3.2 (n=198) | 28.7 (n=1771) | 1.7 (n=5) | 8.1 (n=48) | 48.5 (n=227) | |
| Previous heart failure (%) | 1.1 (n=62) | 1.2 (n=75) | 1.0 (n=64) | 8.5 (n=26) | 6.7 (n=40) | 4.5 (n=21) | |
| Previous myocardial infarction (%) | 4.7 (n=265) | 4.7 (n=287) | 3.5 (n=213) | 15.1 (n=46) | 15.1 (n=90) | 8.8 (n=41) | |
| Previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (%) | 2.4 (n=133) | 3.1 (n=194) | 3.0 (n=184) | 12.5 (n=38) | 10.6 (n=63) | 8.8 (n=41) | |
Data are mean (standard deviation) or percentage (frequency). Corresponding percentages of missing values for time periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively: body mass index=1.0%, 3.7%, and 6.1%; systolic blood pressure=0.1%, 0.1%, and 0.2%; diastolic blood pressure=0.1%, 0.1%, and 0.2%; current smoker=1.7%, 0.2%, and 0.1%; diabetes mellitus=6.1%, 4.5%, and 6.2%; hypertension treatment=0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.6%; total cholesterol=3.8%, 5.7%, and 6.1%; use of statins=0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.2%; education=6.3%, 7.9%, and 7.7%.