Table 1. Patient Baseline Characteristics.
| Characteristic | Total, No. | No. (%) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All patients (N = 33 207) | Controls (n = 32 375) | Patients with recent ingestion of DOACs (n = 832) | |||
| Age, median (IQR), y | 33 198 | 73 (62-80) | 72 (62-80) | 79 (71-85) | <.001 |
| Sex | |||||
| Female | 33 199 | 14 458 (43.5) | 14 103 (43.6) | 355 (42.7) | .60 |
| Male | 18 741 (56.5) | 18 264 (56.4) | 477 (57.3) | ||
| Geographical region | |||||
| Europe | 33 207 | 21 266 (64.0) | 20 792 (64.2) | 474 (57.0) | <.001 |
| Asia | 6698 (20.2) | 6489 (20.0) | 209 (25.1) | ||
| Australia and New Zealand | 5243 (15.8) | 5094 (15.7) | 149 (17.9) | ||
| NIHSS score, median (IQR)a | 32 928 | 9 (5-16) | 9 (5-16) | 11 (6-17) | <.001 |
| Prestroke modified Rankin Scale score, median (IQR)b | 29 059 | 0 (0-0) | 0 (0-0) | 0 (0-1) | <.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 29 178 | 154 (28) | 154 (28) | 154 (27) | .67 |
| Time from symptom onset to hospital admission, median (SD), h | 12 179 | 1.3 (0.8-2.3) | 1.3 (0.8-2.3) | 1.7 (1.0-2.6) | <.001 |
| Blood glucose level, mean (SD), mg/dL | 28 711 | 133 (48) | 133 (48) | 133 (45) | .77 |
| International normalized ratio, median (IQR) | 17 471 | 1 (1-1.1) | 1 (1-1.1) | 1.1 (1.02-1.2) | <.001 |
| Risk factors and medicationc | |||||
| Arterial hypertension | 33 000 | 20 637 (62.5) | 20 072 (62.2) | 565 (75.1) | <.001 |
| Current smoking | 30 337 | 5891 (19.4) | 5796 (19.6) | 95 (12.8) | <.001 |
| History of hypercholesterolemia | 32 941 | 12 413 (37.7) | 12 091 (37.6) | 322 (43.2) | .002 |
| Diabetes | 32 978 | 6484 (19.7) | 6311 (19.6) | 173 (23.2) | .01 |
| Antiplatelet therapy | 29 884 | 10 471 (35.0) | 10 383 (35.7) | 88 (11.2) | <.001 |
| AF | 16 629 | 4616 (27.8) | 4008 (25.1) | 608 (90.1) | <.001 |
| If taking anticoagulation, AF as reason for anticoagulation | 1248 | 1171 (93.8) | 609 (90.2) | 562 (98.1) | <.001 |
| Type of anticoagulation used | |||||
| Dabigatran | 33 207 | 0 | 0 | 342 (41) | |
| Rivaroxaban | 0 | 0 | 258 (31) | ||
| Apixaban | 0 | 0 | 163 (20) | ||
| Edoxaban | 0 | 0 | 68 (8) | ||
| DOAC, not specified which agent | 0 | 0 | 1 (<1) | ||
| Vitamin K antagonists | 0 | 689 (2.1) | 0 | ||
| Presence of large vessel occlusion | 33 069 | 10 970 (33.2) | 10 516 (32.6) | 454 (59.0) | <.001 |
| Mechanical thrombectomy | 32 833 | 6391 (19.5) | 6106 (19.1) | 285 (34.3) | <.001 |
| Tenecteplase used (instead of alteplase) | 33 199 | 1276 (3.8) | 1225 (3.8) | 51 (6.1) | <.001 |
| Time from symptom onset to intravenous thrombolysis, median (IQR), min | 29 717 | 138 (98-190) | 138 (98-190) | 153 (110-210) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; DOAC, direct oral anticoagulant; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale.
SI conversion factor: To convert glucose to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0555.
a
Scores on the NIHSS range from 0 to 42, with 0 indicating no deficits and a higher score indicating more severe neurological deficits.
b
Score on the modified Rankin Scale range from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). Prestroke disability was assessed by site investigators using information provided by the patient, health care records, and/or family members.
c
Risk factors denote known risk factors according to the medical history of the patient.