Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the patients with and without clinically relevant AHREs.
| Variables | Total (n = 721) | Clinically relevant AHREs (-) (n = 617) | Clinically relevant AHREs ( +) (n = 104) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | ||||
| Age, (years) | 73 (65, 79) | 73 (65, 78) | 74 (68, 80) | 0.155 |
| Male, n (%) | 285 (39.5) | 242 (39.2) | 43 (41.3) | 0.763 |
| Body mass index, (kg/m2) | 24.1 (22.2, 26.2) | 24.2 (22.2, 26.2) | 23.9 (22.1, 26.1) | 0.566 |
| Smoking, n (%) | ||||
| Former/Current | 90 (12.5) | 78 (12.6) | 12 (11.5) | 0.877 |
| Alcohol, n (%) | 93 (12.9) | 80 (13.0) | 13 (12.5) | 1.000 |
| Former/Current | ||||
| Clinical | ||||
| Heart failure, n (%) | 26 (3.6) | 23 (3.7) | 3 (2.9) | 1.000 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 484 (67.1) | 416 (67.4) | 68 (65.4) | 0.767 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 196 (27.2) | 173 (28.0) | 23 (22.1) | 0.256 |
| Prior stroke/TIA, n (%) | 80 (11.1) | 64 (10.4) | 16 (15.4) | 0.181 |
| Vascular disease, n (%) | 71 (9.8) | 58 (9.4) | 13 (12.5) | 0.422 |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 222 (30.8) | 197 (31.9) | 25 (24.0) | 0.134 |
| Chronic kidney disease, n (%) | 59 (8.2) | 50 (8.1) | 9 (8.7) | 1.000 |
| CHA2DS2VAS score* | 3 (2, 4) | 3 (2, 4) | 3 (2, 4) | 0.454 |
| CHA2DS2VAS score, group | 0.955 | |||
| 0, n (%) | 21 (2.9) | 18 (2.9) | 3 (2.9) | |
| 1, n (%) | 104 (14.4) | 90 (14.6) | 14 (13.5) | |
| ≥ 2, n (%) | 596 (82.7) | 509 (82.5) | 87 (83.7) | |
| Pacemaker indication | < 0.001 | |||
| Sick sinus syndrome, n (%) | 312 (43.3) | 248 (40.2) | 64 (61.5) | |
| AV block, n (%) | 409 (56.7) | 369 (59.8) | 40 (38.5) | |
| Baseline systolic blood pressure, (mmHg) | 135 (121, 148) | 135 (122, 148) | 133 (120, 145) | 0.174 |
| Baseline diastolic blood pressure, (mmHg) | 71 (64, 80) | 71 (64, 80) | 72 (63, 80) | 0.735 |
| Baseline heart rate, (/min) | 60 (50, 72) | 60 (50, 72) | 60 (50, 72) | 0.954 |
| Baseline eGFR, (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 78.0 (62.0, 91.0) | 77.0 (63.0, 92.0) | 80.5 (62.0, 88.3) | 0.894 |
| Electrocardiogram | ||||
| QRS duration, (ms) | 106 (90, 142) | 108 (90, 144) | 98 (88, 134) | 0.038 |
| QTc interval, (ms) | 455 (422, 488) | 455 (423, 488) | 451 (420, 477) | 0.301 |
| Echocardiography | ||||
| LA diameter, (mm) | 40 (36, 45) | 40 (35, 45) | 42 (37, 45) | 0.094 |
| LVEF, (%) | 65 (60, 70) | 65 (60, 70) | 65 (60, 70) | 0.868 |
| Holter recording | ||||
| APC > 1% at pre-implantation, n (%) | 53 (7.4) | 38 (6.2) | 15 (14.4) | 0.005 |
| VPC > 1% at pre-implantation, n (%) | 49 (6.8) | 39 (6.3) | 10 (9.6) | 0.306 |
| Medications | ||||
| ARB/ACEi, n (%) | 312 (43.3) | 273 (44.2) | 39 (37.5) | 0.239 |
| Beta adrenergic receptor blocker, n (%) | 112 (15.5) | 84 (13.6) | 28 (26.9) | 0.001 |
| Calcium channel blocker, n (%) | 224 (31.1) | 194 (31.4) | 30 (28.8) | 0.678 |
| Statin, n (%) | 306 (42.4) | 267 (43.3) | 39 (37.5) | 0.320 |
| Diuretics, n (%) | 162 (22.5) | 139 (22.5) | 23 (22.1) | 1.000 |
The data are presented as number (%), median [IQR].
ACEi angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, AHREs atrial high-rate episodes, APC atrial premature complex, ARB angiotensin receptor blocker, AV atrioventricular, GFR glomerular filtration rate, LA left atrium, LVEF left ventricular ejection fraction, QTc corrected QT, TIA transient ischemic attack, VPC ventricular premature complex.
*The CHA2DS2-VAS score is a measure of the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, with scoring ranging from 0 to 9 and higher scores indicating greater risk. Congestive heart failure, hypertension, age 75 years or older (doubled), diabetes, stroke (doubled), vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, sex category (female).