Baseline characteristics of the sample, by first oral anticoagulant prescription
| VKA N=20 687 | DOAC N=18 513 | |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 11 444 (55.3) | 10 267 (55.5) |
| Female | 9243 (44.7) | 8246 (44.5) |
| Age category, years | ||
| 40–59 | 5854 (28.3) | 5461 (29.5) |
| 60–69 | 7821 (37.8) | 6367 (34.4) |
| 70–79 | 7012 (33.9) | 6685 (36.1) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| White | 9930 (48.0) | 8617 (46.5) |
| South Asian | 122 (0.6) | 82 (0.4) |
| Black | 56 (0.3) | 52 (0.3) |
| Mixed/other | 92 (0.4) | 65 (0.4) |
| Missing | 10 487 (50.7) | 9697 (52.4) |
| Socioeconomic status (IMD—patient level) | ||
| 1 | 2515 (12.2) | 2395 (12.9) |
| 2 | 2473 (12.0) | 1881 (10.2) |
| 3 | 2262 (10.9) | 1738 (9.4) |
| 4 | 1765 (8.5) | 1278 (6.9) |
| 5 | 1343 (6.5) | 1051 (5.7) |
| Missing | 10 329 (49.9) | 10 170 (54.9) |
| Socioeconomic status (IMD—practice level) | ||
| 1 | 3774 (18.2) | 3672 (19.8) |
| 2 | 3337 (16.1) | 2983 (16.1) |
| 3 | 4622 (22.3) | 4055 (21.9) |
| 4 | 4242 (20.5) | 3428 (18.5) |
| 5 | 4712 (22.8) | 4375 (23.6) |
| BMI category | ||
| Underweight | 418 (2.0) | 414 (2.2) |
| Normal | 5056 (24.4) | 4727 (25.5) |
| Overweight | 8372 (40.5) | 7396 (40.0) |
| Obese | 6841 (33.1) | 5976 (32.3) |
| Hazardous alcohol status | ||
| Yes | 1245 (6.0) | 1486 (8.0) |
| No | 19 442 (94.0) | 17 027 (92.0) |
| Smoking status | ||
| Non/ex-smoker | 18 679 (90.3) | 16 419 (88.7) |
| Current | 1981 (9.6) | 2034 (11.0) |
| Missing | 27 (0.1) | 60 (0.3) |
| Consultation frequency/year | ||
| 1 to 10 | 2024 (12.2) | 3393 (15.0) |
| 11 to 20 | 5208 (31.4) | 7075 (31.3) |
| 21 to 30 | 4319 (26.0) | 5342 (23.7) |
| 31 to 40 | 2429 (14.6) | 3084 (13.6) |
| 41 to 50 | 1217 (7.3) | 1658 (7.3) |
| 51 to 60 | 588 (3.5) | 838 (3.7) |
| Over 60 | 738 (4.4) | 1155 (5.1) |
| None | 92 (0.6) | 40 (0.2) |
| Calendar year of OAC prescription | ||
| 2012 | 3975 (23.9) | 170 (0.8) |
| 2013 | 4456 (26.8) | 1116 (4.9) |
| 2014 | 3793 (22.8) | 2618 (11.6) |
| 2015 | 2401 (14.5) | 4606 (20.4) |
| 2016 | 1159 (7.0) | 4839 (21.4) |
| 2017 | 547 (3.3) | 4805 (21.3) |
| 2018 | 284 (1.7) | 4431 (19.6) |
| Conditions at baseline | ||
| Diabetes status | 5538 (26.8) | 4548 (24.6) |
| Hypertension history | 14 317 (69.2) | 12 403 (67.0) |
| Myocardial infarction history | 2541 (12.3) | 2071 (11.2) |
| Heart failure history | 5225 (25.3) | 3843 (20.8) |
| Stroke/transient ishemic attack/thromboembolism history | 3776 (18.3) | 3438 (18.6) |
| Vascular disease history | 6002 (29.0) | 4775 (25.8) |
| Renal disease history | 6672 (32.3) | 5235 (28.3) |
| Liver disease history | 399 (1.9) | 441 (2.4) |
| Medications at baseline | ||
| Statin use | 14 459 (69.9) | 12 570 (67.9) |
| Antiplatelet drugs/NSAIDs | 14 210 (68.7) | 10 868 (58.7) |
| ACE inhibitors or ARBs | 8806 (42.6) | 7000 (37.8) |
| Beta-blockers | 13 651 (66.0) | 12 815 (69.2) |
| Class I or III antiarrhythmics | 1461 (7.1) | 1065 (5.8) |
| Digoxin | 2524 (12.2) | 1914 (10.3) |
| Diuretics | 10 230 (49.5) | 8045 (43.5) |
| Antidepressant medications | 3667 (17.7) | 3534 (19.1) |
| Antipsychotic medications | 113 (0.5) | 150 (0.8) |
| Proton pump inhibitors | 9226 (44.6) | 8644 (46.7) |
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme ; ARBs, angiotensin receptor blockers; BMI, body mass index; DOAC, direct oral anticoagulant; IMD, Index of Multiple Deprivation; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ; OAC, oral anticoagulant; VKA, vitamin K antagonist.