Baseline characteristics by baseline anticoagulation and reason anticoagulation was not used
| Baseline characteristic | Patients on OAC (N=29 871) | Patients not on OAC | |
| Patient refusal to take AC (N=1014) | Other reason for not taking AC (N=7123) | ||
| Sex, n (%) | |||
| Male | 15 089 (50.5) | 524 (51.7) | 3409 (47.9) |
| Female | 14 782 (49.5) | 490 (48.3) | 3714 (52.1) |
| Age, median (Q1; Q3), years | 73.0 (67.0; 79.0) | 72.0 (65.0; 78.0) | 72.0 (65.0; 80.0) |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |||
| Caucasian | 20 115 (69.0) | 608 (60.4) | 3659 (52.3) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 1945 (6.7) | 40 (4.0) | 574 (8.2) |
| Asian | 6530 (22.4) | 342 (34.0) | 2641 (37.8) |
| Afro-Caribbean/mixed/other | 566 (1.9) | 17 (1.7) | 117 (1.7) |
| Body mass index, median (Q1; Q3), kg/m² | 27.2 (24.2; 31.2) | 27.0 (23.9; 30.5) | 26.1 (23.3; 29.7) |
| Systolic blood pressure, median (Q1; Q3), mm Hg | 133.0 (120.0; 146.0) | 135.0 (120.0; 145.0) | 132.0 (120.0; 145.0) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, median (Q1; Q3), mm Hg | 80.0 (70.0; 89.0) | 80.0 (70.0; 86.0) | 80.0 (70.0; 86.0) |
| Pulse, median (Q1; Q3), bpm | 85.0 (71.0; 106.0) | 78.0 (68.0; 94.0) | 80.0 (70.0; 100.0) |
| Type of atrial fibrillation, n (%) | |||
| Permanent | 4453 (14.9) | 165 (16.3) | 759 (10.7) |
| Persistent | 4995 (16.7) | 92 (9.1) | 804 (11.3) |
| Paroxysmal | 7681 (25.7) | 355 (35.0) | 2294 (32.2) |
| New onset (unclassified) | 12 742 (42.7) | 402 (39.6) | 3266 (45.9) |
| Care setting specialty at diagnosis, n (%) | |||
| Internal medicine/neurology/geriatrics | 6136 (20.5) | 181 (17.9) | 1507 (21.2) |
| Cardiology | 19 556 (65.5) | 613 (60.5) | 4520 (63.5) |
| Primary care/general practice | 4179 (14.0) | 220 (21.7) | 1096 (15.4) |
| Care setting location at diagnosis, n (%) | |||
| Hospital | 16 509 (55.3) | 625 (61.6) | 4326 (60.7) |
| Office/AC clinic/thrombosis centre | 10 062 (33.7) | 329 (32.4) | 2094 (29.4) |
| Emergency room | 3300 (11.0) | 60 (5.9) | 703 (9.9) |
| Medical history, n (%) | |||
| Heart failure | 7451 (24.9) | 277 (27.3) | 1664 (23.4) |
| Vascular disease* | 4800 (16.1) | 178 (17.7) | 1358 (19.2) |
| Prior/current MI | 3745 (12.6) | 153 (15.1) | 1111 (15.8) |
| Carotid occlusive disease | 1046 (3.5) | 38 (3.8) | 200 (2.8) |
| CABG | 1136 (3.8) | 31 (3.1) | 212 (3.0) |
| Stenting | 2200 (7.4) | 68 (6.7) | 629 (8.9) |
| VTE | 950 (3.2) | 10 (1.0) | 122 (1.7) |
| Prior stroke/TIA/SE | 4178 (14.0) | 124 (12.2) | 821 (11.5) |
| Prior bleeding | 574 (1.9) | 28 (2.8) | 446 (6.3) |
| Hypertension | 24 660 (82.6) | 836 (82.4) | 5624 (79.0) |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 13 326 (45.8) | 425 (43.4) | 2793 (40.4) |
| Diabetes | 7825 (26.2) | 254 (25.0) | 1614 (22.7) |
| Cirrhosis | 135 (0.5) | 3 (0.3) | 70 (1.0) |
| Moderate to severe CKD | 3605 (13.4) | 118 (13.5) | 770 (12.7) |
| Dementia | 443 (1.5) | 11 (1.1) | 212 (3.0) |
| Hyperthyroidism | 515 (1.8) | 13 (1.3) | 123 (1.8) |
| Hypothyroidism | 2002 (6.8) | 51 (5.1) | 419 (6.0) |
| Heavy alcohol consumption, n (%) | 432 (1.7) | 11 (1.2) | 148 (2.4) |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 2358 (8.6) | 97 (10.0) | 563 (8.5) |
| AC use, n (%) | |||
| NOAC | 12 037 (40.3) | – | – |
| VKA | 17 834 (59.7) | – | – |
| Antiplatelet use, n (%) | 6733 (22.5) | 805 (79.4) | 5010 (70.3) |
| CHA2DS2-VASc score, median (Q1; Q3) | 4.0 (3.0; 4.0) | 3.0 (3.0; 5.0) | 3.0 (2.0; 4.0) |
| HAS-BLED score, median (Q1; Q3)† | 1.0 (1.0; 2.0) | 1.0 (1.0; 2.0) | 2.0 (1.0; 2.0) |
| GARFIELD-AF mortality score, median (Q1; Q3)‡ | 6.6 (4.0; 11.3) | 5.2 (3.1; 8.8) | 5.7 (3.1; 11.0) |
| GARFIELD-AF stroke score, median (Q1; Q3)§ | 2.3 (1.7; 3.3) | 2.2 (1.6; 3.1) | 2.3 (1.6; 3.3) |
| GARFIELD-AF major bleeding score, median (Q1; Q3)¶ | 1.2 (0.9; 1.7) | 1.3 (0.9; 1.8) | 1.4 (0.9; 2.0) |
Baseline characteristics by baseline anticoagulation and reason anticoagulation was not used.
*Defined as coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease.
†The risk factor ‘Labile INRs’ is not included in the HAS-BLED score as it is not collected at baseline. As a result, the maximum HAS-BLED score at baseline is 8 points (not 9).
‡Represent the expected probability of death within 2 years follow-up assuming common treatment across groups.
§Represent the expected probability of non-haemorrhagic stroke/SE within 2 years follow-up assuming common treatment across groups.
¶Represent the expected probability of major bleeding within 2 years follow-up assuming common treatment across groups.
AC, anticoagulants; CABG, coronary artery bypass graft ; CKD, chronic kidney disease; MI, Myocardial infarction ; NOAC, non-vitamin K anticoagulants; OAC, oral anticoagulants; SE, systemic embolism ; TIA, transient ischaemic attack; VKA, vitamin K antagonist.