Table Info

Table 3.

Univariate and multivariable Cox models for prediction of new-onset AF by sex-specific SUA quartiles and systolic BP as time-varying covariates

Variable	Number of subsequent events	Univariate		Multivariable		Wald
Variable	Number of subsequent events	HR (95% CI)	P	HR (95% CI)	P	Wald
SUA 2nd Quartile	373	0.59 (0.43–0.80)	0.001	0.87 (0.58–1.30)	0.499	0.46
SUA 3rd Quartile	373	0.83 (0.65–1.07)	0.158	1.14 (0.79–1.64)	0.499	0.46
SUA 4th Quartile	373	1.84 (1.50–2.25)	< 0.001	1.65 (1.19–2.29)	0.003	8.88
Systolic BP, per SD	373	0.95 (0.87–1.04)	0.273	0.92 (0.84–1.00)	0.044	4.06
Cornell voltage-duration product, per SD	373	1.15 (1.05–1.25)	0.003	1.10 (1.01–1.21)	0.033	4.56
Framingham risk score, per SD	373	1.25 (1.14–1.38)	< 0.001	0.94 (0.82–1.08)	0.401	0.71
Cerebrovascular disease	373	1.50 (1.20–1.86)	< 0.001	1.20 (0.96–1.50)	0.114	2.50
Age, per SD	373	1.89 (1.69–2.12)	< 0.001	1.94 (1.72–2.20)	< 0.001	115.0
Male gender	373	1.27 (1.03–1.55)	0.022	1.44 (1.08–1.92)	0.014	6.01
Atenolol treatment	373	1.40 (1.14–1.72)	0.001	1.35 (1.10–1.66)	0.005	7.97

1st through 4th SUA quartiles at baseline using sex-specific ranges: < 309, 309–353, 354–408, and ≥ 409 μmol/L for men and < 255, 255–297, 298–345, and ≥ 346 μmol/L for women. 1st quartile n = 2,033, 2nd quartile n = 2,070, 3rd quartile n = 2,100, 4th quartile n = 2,040. SD: standard deviation

Declarations

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the 945 clinical centers who participated in the LIFE study.

Author contributions

ESZ, KW, PMO and RBD contributed to the conception and design of this LIFE sub-study. ESZ, IMS, KW and DAH performed the statistical analyses. ESZ wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read and approved the submitted version.

Conflicts of interest

Sverre E. Kjeldsen has received ad-hoc lecture honoraria within the past 3 years from Getz, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Sanofi-Aventis and Vector-Intas. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

The trial protocol was approved by ethical committees in all countries with participating clinical centres and done in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent to participate

Written informed consent to participate in the study was obtained from all participants.

Consent to publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author (RBD) upon dire need.

Funding

Merck & Co., Inc. supported the LIFE study with an unrestricted grant from 1993. Merck had a non-voting member of the Steering Committee, which designed the study and wrote the protocol. Merck did monitoring, and data was accumulated in a Merck database until study ended in 2002. Merck provided the study steering committee with free access to blinded data until 2002 and then un-blinded data after the database was cleared for queries and frozen. The steering committee including a committee statistician validated independently the main outcomes. The steering committee has always been free to analyze and interpret the data, make decisions to publish and write the papers. Merck has not had any formal role after 2002 except for sporadically provided expert statistical assistance.

Copyright

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