04 January 2026 : Clinical Research
Association of Permanent Atrial Fibrillation With Mortality and Heart Failure Progression in Low Thromboembolic Risk Patients
Kacper Rutkowski
DEF 1, Bartosz Krzowski ABD 1*, Paweł Balsam AD 1, Marcin Grabowski AD 1, Leszek Kraj AD 2, Cezary Maciejewski ABD 1, Piotr Lodziński AD 1, Michał Peller ACDE 1
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.951355
Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e951355
Table 1 Baseline characteristics stratified by AF type (permanent vs non-permanent).
| Variable | Overall population (418) | Patients without permanent AF (355) | Patients with permanent AF (63) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 61 (54–66) | 60 (53–65) | 64 (59–72) | <0.0001 |
| Female | 99 (23.68%) | 95 (26.76%) | 4 (6.35%) | <0.0001 |
| Persistent AF | 69 (16.51%) | 69 (19.44%) | 0 | <0.0001 |
| CHADS-VASc | 2 (2–2) | 2 (1–2) | 2 (2–2) | 0.0005 |
| CHADS2 | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–1) | 1 (1–2) | 0.01 |
| HASBLED | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.79 |
| SBP over 160 | 316 (85.87%) | 316 (98.44%) | 0 | 0.50 |
| Cancer | 20 (5.42%) | 18 (5.59%) | 2 (4.26%) | 0.27 |
| Stroke/TIA/thromboembolism | 9 (2.17%) | 8 (2.27%) | 1 (1.61%) | 0.37 |
| CHF | 85 (20.43%) | 55 (15.54%) | 30 (48.39%) | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension | 221 (53%) | 197 (55.65%) | 24 (38.10%) | 0.004 |
| Vascular disease | 109 (26.08%) | 93 (26.20%) | 16 (25.40%) | 0.12 |
| CAD | 38 (9.09%) | 24 (6.76%) | 14 (22.22%) | 0.12 |
| COPD | 31 (7.42%) | 24 (6.76%) | 7 (11.11%) | 0.09 |
| Pacemaker | 44 (11.92%) | 27 (8.39%) | 17 (36.17%) | <0.0001 |
| ICD | 28 (7.59%) | 18 (5.59%) | 10 (21.28%) | <0.0008 |
| CRT | 5 (1.36%) | 2 (0.62%) | 3 (6.38%) | 0.02 |
| Frequent alcohol consumption | 5 (1.20%) | 4 (1.13%) | 1 (1.61%) | 0.39 |
| LVEF | 53.5 (40–60) | 55 (45–60) | 43.5 (24.5–54) | 0.0005 |
| INR | 1.13 (1.01–1.92) | 1.12 (1.01–1.96) | 1.21 (1.08–2) | 0.13 |
| ASPAT | 26 (21–33) | 25 (20–33) | 27 (22–32) | 0.25 |
| ALAT | 32 (23–42) | 33 (24–42) | 28 (18–40) | 0.11 |
| GFR | 71.63 (61.52–80.06) | 72.82 (62.66–82.91) | 66.97 (50.6–78.02) | 0.01 |
| Antiplatelet drugs | 44 (10.53%) | 36 (10.14%) | 8 (12.7%) | 0.14 |
| Clopidogrel | 19 (5.15%) | 15 (4.66%) | 4 (8.52%) | 0.13 |
| DM2 oral hypoglycemics | 59 (14.18%) | 52 (14.69%) | 7 (11.29%) | 0.13 |
| VKA | 64 (15.31%) | 205 (57.75%) | 39 (61.90%) | 0.09 |
| Rivaroxaban | 109 (26.08%) | 91 (25.63%) | 18 (28.57%) | 0.11 |
| Dabigatran | 65 (15.55%) | 59 (16.62%) | 6 (9.5%) | 0.06 |
| ASA | 42 (10.29%) | 33 (9.3%) | 9 (12.7%) | 0.12 |
| Antiarrhythmic drugs | 81 (19.42%) | 77 (21.75%) | 4 (6.35%) | 0.001 |
| Beta-blockers | 285 (77.45%) | 244 (76.01%) | 41 (87.23%) | 0.03 |
| ACEI/ARB | 231 (62.60%) | 193 (59.94%) | 38 (80.85%) | 0.002 |
| Statins | 209 (56.64%) | 182 (56.52%) | 27 (57.45%) | 0.12 |
| CCB | 62 (16.80%) | 56 (17.39%) | 6 (12.77%) | 0.13 |
| ACEI – angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ALAT – alanine aminotransferase; ARB – angiotensin II receptor blockers; ASA – acetylsalicylic acid; ASPAT – aspartate aminotransferase; CAD – coronary artery disease; CCB – calcium channel blockers; CHF – congestive heart failure; COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CRT – cardiac resynchronization therapy; DM2 – diabetes mellitus type 2; GFR – glomerular filtration rate; ICD – implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; INR – international normalized ratio; LVEF – left ventricle ejection fraction; SBP – systolic blood pressure; VKA – vitamin K antagonists. | ||||