Patient characteristics
| Group I (n=70) | Group II (n=70) | Group III (n=70) | |
| Age (years old) | 64±10 | 67±13 | 68±9 |
| Gender (male, %) | 48 (69%) | 46 (66%) | 43 (61%) |
| Height (cm) | 163.5±9.1 | 162.1±17.1 | 164.4±7.7 |
| Weight (kg) | 63.2±12.8 | 63.4±14.5 | 64.2±14.4 |
| BMI | 23.5±4.0 | 23.7±4.3 | 23.8±4.0 |
| Persistent atrial fibrillation (n, %) | 17 (24%) | 20 (29%) | 53 (76%) * |
| Congestive heart failure (n, %) | 12 (17%) | 11 (18%) | 18 (26%) |
| Hypertension (n, %) | 29 (41%) | 40 (57%) | 37 (53%) |
| Diabetes (n, %) | 8 (11%) | 13 (19%) | 8 (11%) |
| Stroke (n, %) | 3 (4%) | 5 (7%) | 2 (3%) |
| Vascular disease (n, %) | 2 (3%) | 1 (1%) | 7 (10%) |
| CHADS2 | 1.3±1.1 | 1.7±1.1 | 1.6±1.0 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | 1.8±1.3 | 2.3±1.4 | 2.4±1.4 |
| Left atrial dimension (mm) | 37.4±7.7 | 36.9±5.9 | 40.2±6.4 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 61.8±8.8 | 60.3±10.2 | 60.7±8.3 |
*p<0.0001.
BMI, body mass index.