Pharmacological treatment in patients with aortic dissection in Sweden 2006–2015 prior to the first dissection event, described for the total cohort and subdivided into medically and surgically managed patients, respectively
| Variable, N (%) | Total (n=3951) | Medically managed (n=2648) | Surgery within 14 days (n=1303) | P value |
| Women | 1480 (38) | 1021 (39) | 459 (35) | 0.42 |
| Age (years; mean±SD) | 68 (13) | 71 (13) | 63 (12) | <0.001 |
| Any antihypertensive | 2367 (60%) | 1693 (64%) | 674 (52%) | <0.001 |
| Beta blocker | 1409 (36%) | 1042 (39%) | 367 (28%) | <0.001 |
| Calcium channel blocker | 925 (23%) | 646 (24%) | 279 (21%) | 0.037 |
| ACE inhibitor | 812 (21%) | 567 (21%) | 245 (19%) | 0.056 |
| ARB | 487 (12%) | 354 (13%) | 133 (10%) | 0.004 |
| Diuretic | 1228 (31%) | 928 (35%) | 300 (23%) | <0.001 |
| Statin | 851 (22%) | 625 (24%) | 226 (17%) | <0.001 |
| Any anticoagulant* | 411 (10%) | 306 (12%) | 105 (8%) | <0.001 |
| Warfarin | 393 (10%) | 293 (11%) | 100 (8%) | <0.001 |
| NOAC | 20 (1%) | 15 (1%) | 5 (0.4%) | 0.445 |
| Any antiplatelet therapy† | 1044 (26%) | 810 (31%) | 234 (18%) | <0.001 |
| Acetylsalicylic acid | 987 (25%) | 769 (29%) | 218 (17%) | <0.001 |
| Clopidogrel | 100 (3%) | 73 (3%) | 27 (2%) | 0.198 |
P values refer to comparisons between the groups of medically and surgically managed patients, respectively.
*The sum of the number of patients on warfarin and on NOAC, respectively, may exceed the total number of patients on ‘Any anticoagulant’ as the patients may have switched from one drug to the other during the first year after discharge.
†This also applies for ‘Any antiplatelet therapy’; some patients were treated with dual antiplatelet therapy.
ARB, angiotensin II receptor blocker; NOAC, new oral anticoagulant.