Table 1.
Characteristics of the patients at baseline
| Verapamil (n = 47) | Beta blocker (n = 383) | No rate control (n = 236) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 60 (55–68)a | 66 (59–72)b | 63 (55–69) | <0.01 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 23 (49) | 234 (61)b | 170 (72)c | <0.01 |
| Symptoms at first visit, n (%) | 22 (47) | 178 (46) | 91 (39) | 0.141 |
| Heart rate at first visit (beats per minute) | 76 (65–91) | 71 (61–94) | 73 (65–91) | 0.75 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 20 (43) | 198 (52)b | 89 (38) | <0.01 |
| History of heart failure, n (%) | 1 (2) | 37 (9) | 11 (5) | 0.03 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 2 (4) | 41 (11) | 18 (8) | 0.25 |
| Ischaemic stroke of transient ischaemic attack, n (%) | 2 (4) | 27 (7) | 14 (6) | 0.76 |
| Haemorrhagic stroke, n (%) | 0 0 | 7 (2) | 5 (2) | 1 |
| Coronary artery disease, n (%) | 3 (6) | 28 (7) | 9 (4) | 1 |
| Valvular heart disease, n (%) | 1 (2) | 18 (5) | 6 (3) | 0.37 |
| Peripheral vascular disease, n (%) | 1 (2) | 13 (3) | 8 (3) | 1 |
| Hyperthyroidism, n (%) | 0 0 | 8 (2) | 1 0 | 0.27 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, n (%) | 5 (11) | 22 (6) | 9 (4) | 0.13 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc,dn (%) | b | <0.01 | ||
| 0 | 18 (38) | 80 (21) | 83 (35) | |
| 1 | 9 (19) | 68 (18) | 48 (20) | |
| ≥2 | 20 (42) | 235 (61) | 105 (44) | |
| HATCH score,en (%) | b | <0.01 | ||
| 0 | 24 (51) | 142 (37) | 128 (54) | |
| 1 | 19 (40) | 154 (40) | 79 (33) | |
| ≥2 | 4 (9) | 87 (23) | 29 (12) | |
| HASBLED >3, n (%) | 5 (11) | 37 (10) | 16 (7) | 0.36 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 28 (±5) | 28 (±5) | 27 (± 5) | 0.58 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 141 (±20) | 141 (±21) | 141 (±19) | 0.98 |
| Echocardiographic left atrial size, long axis (mm) | 38 (±5) | 39 (±6) | 39 (± 6) | 0.30 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 60 (55–60) | 55 (52–60) | 57 (55–60) | 0.06 |
| RAAS inhibition, n (%) | 7 (15) | 79 (21) | 39 (17) | 0,35 |
| ACE inhibitor | 4 (9) | 61 (16) | 25 (11) | 0,10 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 3 (6) | 18 (5) | 14 (6) | 0,67 |
| Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, n (%) | 1 (2) | 23 (6) | 10 (4) | 0.497 |
| Diuretics, n (%) | 3 (6) | 40 (10) | 14 (6) | 0,14 |
| Statins, n (%) | 5 (11) | 50 (13)b | 14 (6) | 0,01 |
| Digoxin, n (%) | 1 (2) | 16 (4)b | 0 0 | <0.01 |
| Oral anticoagulation, n (%) | 26 (55)a | 289 (75)b | 119 (50) | <0.01 |
| Direct oral anticoagulation, n (%) | 18 (38) | 169 (44) | 63 (27) | |
| Coumarines, n (%) | 8 (17) | 120 (31) | 56 (24) |
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; RAAS, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system.
Significant differences between groups after correction for multiple testing using the Bonferroni correction.
Significant difference between verapamil and beta blocker.
Significant difference between beta blocker and no rate control.
Significant difference between no rate control and verapamil.
Congestive heart failure, hypertension, an age of 65–74 years, diabetes, and vascular disease are each assigned one point, and previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack and an age >75 years are assigned two points.
Age above 75 years, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are each assigned one point and heart failure and previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack are each assigned two points.