Sex-Related Differences in the Risk Factor Profile and Medications of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Recruited in J-TRACE

Background: Clinical characteristics, including risk factors for thromboembolism, and medications differ between men and women with atrial fibrillation (AF) in Western countries. Whether such a difference exists for Japanese patients with AF is unclear, so data from J-TRACE were used to investigate this issue. Methods and Results: A total of 2,892 patients (2,028 men, 864 women; 70.3 years old) with AF were analyzed for the respective prevalences of risk factors and medications. CHADS2 score was calculated to determine thromboembolic risk level. Women were older (P<0.001), and more frequently had heart failure (P<0.001), and hypertension (P=0.051) than men. The proportion of subjects aged 75 years or older was higher among women than among men (P<0.001). CHADS2 score was therefore significantly higher in women than in men (2.05 +/- 1.29 vs 1.88 +/- 1.33, P<0.001). Sex-related differences were not observed for the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke, nor did warfarin usage differ between men and women. Conclusions: Sex-related differences were observed in the risk factor profile and medications of Japanese patients with AF. CHADS2 score was higher in women than in men. (Circ J 2010; 74: 650-654)