Purpose: Patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) are less likely than those with permanent AF to receive antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention despite guideline recommendations for thromboprophylaxis irrespective of AF type. We sought to investigate treatment and outcomes in these two groups using data from the GARFIELD Registry. Methods: Consecutive adults (≥18 y) with non-valvular AF diagnosed within the previous 6 weeks and ≥1 additional investigator-defined stroke risk factor(s) were enrolled at 540 sites in 19 countries. Adjusted 1-year outcomes in patients classified as having paroxysmal or permanent AF at study entry were determined using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Of the 10,608 patients, 28% had paroxysmal AF and 25% permanent AF. Patients with paroxysmal AF had lower mean±SD risk scores (CHADS2 1.8±1.2 vs 2.2±1.2; CHA2DS2-VASc 3.1±1.6 vs 3.6±1.6; HAS-BLED 1.0±0.8 vs 1.1±0.7; all p<0.001) and were less likely to receive antithrombotic treatment than patients with permanent AF (Table). Events (adjusted) at 1 year did not differ between the two groups. View this table: Baseline data and 1-year outcomes Conclusion: These observational data suggest that patients with paroxysmal AF are perceived to be at lower risk of adverse events at 1 year, whereas after adjustment they have a similar level of risk to patients with permanent AF.