Arrhythmias & electrophysiology
Ablation of atrial fibrillation and dementia risk reduction during long-term follow-up: a nationwide population-based study
Authors' conclusion
Patients with AF have a higher incidence of all types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and a mixed type of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is less likely to occur in patients with AF undergoing catheter ablation.
Study context
- Population
- Patients without a history of dementia, Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database1:1 age-matched
- Participants
- 136,774 patients
- Exposure
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) vs no AF; catheter ablation in AF
- Outcome
- New-onset dementia (Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, other/mixed dementia)
- Follow-up
- Median 6.6 years
Methodological detailspopulation-based, 1:1 propensity score matching based on age, inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), competing risk model
- Population-based
- 1:1 propensity score matching based on age
- IPTW
- Competing risk model
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Cumulative incidence of dementia
New-onset dementia events
8704
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Total dementia risk, AF patients undergoing catheter ablation
| HR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catheter ablationAfter multivariable adjustment | 0.74 (0.58–0.94) | P = 0.015 | |
| 0.512Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Vascular dementia, AF patients undergoing catheter ablation
| HR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catheter ablation | 0.86 (0.49–1.50) | P = 0.59 | |
| 0.512Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Dementia subtypes among AF patients developing dementia
- Alzheimer's disease
- 73%
- Vascular dementia
- 16%
- Other/mixed dementia
- 11%
Original publication
Ablation of atrial fibrillation and dementia risk reduction during long-term follow-up: a nationwide population-based study. Europace. Published 25 April 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →