Patients without comorbidities at the time of diagnosis of atrial fibrillation: causes of death during long‐term follow‐up compared to matched controls. Issue 11 (25th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Andersson, Tommy; Magnuson, Anders; Bryngelsson, Ing‐Liss; Frøbert, Ole; Henriksson, Karin M.; Edvardsson, Nils; Poçi, Dritan
• Is Part Of: Clinical cardiology. Volume 40:Issue 11(2017)
• Page Start: 1076
• Page End: 1082
• Publication Date: 2017-08-25
• Subjects: atrial fibrillation -- cause of death -- idiopathic -- morbidity -- mortality; Cardiology -- Periodicals; 616.12005
• DOI: 10.1002/clc.22776
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0160-9289

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Little is known about the long‐term, cause‐specific mortality risk in patients without comorbidities at the time of diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: From a nation‐wide registry of patients hospitalized with incident AF between 1995 and 2008 we identified 9 519 patients with a first diagnosed AF and no comorbidities at the time of AF diagnosis. They were matched with 12 468 controls. The follow‐up continued until December 2008. Causes of death were classified according to the ICD‐10 codes. Results: During follow‐up, 11.1% of patients with AF and 8.3% of controls died. Cardiovascular diseases were the most common causes of death and the only diagnoses which showed significantly higher relative risk in patients with AF than controls (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.8‐2.3), and the relative risk was significantly higher in women than in men. Stroke was a more common cause among patients with AF, 13.1% versus 9.7% (HR 2.7, 95% CI 1.8‐4.0), while cerebral hemorrhage was more common among controls, 4.7% versus 10.2% (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.6‐1.5). The time from AF diagnosis to death was 6.0 ± 3.1 years. Conclusions: In patients with incident AF and no known comorbidities at the time of AF diagnosis, only cardiovascular diseases were more often causes of death as compared to controls. Women carried a significantly higher relative risk than men.