Baseline characteristics according to alcohol consumption
| Characteristic | Overall no. (%)* of patients n = 3852 | No. (%)* of patients who were nondrinkers n = 689 | No. (%)* of patients who consumed > 0 to < 1 drink/d n = 1782 | No. (%)* of patients who consumed 1 to < 2 drinks/d n = 646 | No. (%)* of patients who consumed ≥ 2 drinks/d n = 735 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age ± SD, yr | 71 ± 10 | 72 ± 10 | 71 ± 10 | 73 ± 10 | 72 ± 8 |
| Female sex | 1078 (28) | 362 (53) | 522 (29) | 114 (18) | 80 (11) |
| Ethnicity, White† | 3800 (99) | 671 (97) | 1760 (99) | 641 (99) | 728 (99) |
| BMI, kg/m2 ± SD | 27.4 ± 4.8 | 28.0 ± 5.7 | 27.4 ± 4.7 | 27.0 ± 4.4 | 27.3 ± 4.2 |
| Current smoker | 298 (8) | 56 (8) | 117 (7) | 36 (6) | 89 (12) |
| Regular exercise | 1875 (49) | 265 (39) | 927 (52) | 326 (51) | 357 (49) |
| Education level‡ | |||||
| Basic | 456 (12) | 162 (24) | 171 (10) | 49 (8) | 74 (10) |
| Middle | 1897 (49) | 369 (54) | 899 (50) | 311 (48) | 318 (43) |
| Advanced | 1499 (39) | 158 (23) | 712 (40) | 286 (44) | 343 (47) |
| Atrial fibrillation type | |||||
| Paroxysmal | 1899 (49) | 343 (50) | 911 (51) | 319 (49) | 326 (44) |
| Persistent | 1047 (27) | 162 (24) | 493 (28) | 179 (28) | 213 (29) |
| Permanent | 906 (24) | 184 (27) | 378 (21) | 148 (23) | 196 (27) |
| AF-related symptoms§ | 2550 (66) | 468 (68) | 1237 (70) | 424 (66) | 422 (57) |
| Health perception (VAS)¶ | 72 ± 18 | 67 ± 20 | 73 ± 18 | 74 ± 17 | 72 ± 18 |
| Medical history | |||||
| Hypertension | 2645 (69) | 505 (73) | 1194 (67) | 427 (66) | 519 (71) |
| Diabetes | 604 (16) | 153 (22) | 251 (14) | 87 (13) | 113 (15) |
| Stroke or TIA | 663 (17) | 127 (18) | 296 (17) | 123 (19) | 117 (16) |
| Heart failure | 917 (24) | 185 (27) | 420 (24) | 147 (23) | 165 (22) |
| Coronary heart disease | 1031 (27) | 196 (28) | 465 (26) | 166 (26) | 204 (28) |
| Renal failure | 716 (19) | 167 (24) | 316 (18) | 116 (18) | 117 (16) |
| Recurrent falls | 259 (7) | 66 (10) | 109 (6) | 35 (5) | 49 (7) |
| Oral anticoagulation | 3248 (84) | 576 (84) | 1488 (84) | 554 (86) | 630 (86) |
Note: BMI = body mass index, SD = standard deviation, TIA = transient ischemic attack, VAS = visual analogue scale.
↵* Unless otherwise specified.
↵† Missing values: 8
↵‡ Basic: ≤ 6 years (less than the current compulsory education curriculum); middle: 6 to ≤ 12 years (high school or similar); advanced: ≥ 12 years (college or university degree).
↵§ Includes palpitations, dizziness, chest pain, effort intolerance, dyspnea, fatigue, syncope or other.
↵¶ VAS: scale from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) health perception.