Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Atrial fibrillation: age at diagnosis, incident cardiovascular events, and mortality
- Nationwide population-based cohort study
- exposure density matching on sex, year of birth and index date
Authors' conclusion
The findings show that earlier diagnosis of AF is associated with a higher hazard ratio of subsequent myocardial disease and shorter life expectancy.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and matched background-population controls, stratified by age at diagnosismean follow-up 7.9 years
- Participants
- 216,579 vs 866,316
- Exposure
- AF vs matched controls without AF
- AFn = 216,579
- Controlsn = 866,316reference
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Cardiomyopathy, HF, ischaemic stroke and mortality, age ≤50 years · mean follow-up 7.9 years
AF vs ControlsHazard ratio (95% CI)
cardiomyopathy, ≤50 years
8.90(7.17–11.0)
HF, ≤50 years
8.64(7.74–9.64)
ischaemic stroke, ≤50 years
2.18(1.89–2.52)
mortality, ≤50 years
2.74(2.53–2.96)
- Expected average loss of life years, ≤50 years
- 9.2 years (95% CI, 9.0-9.3)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Atrial fibrillation: age at diagnosis, incident cardiovascular events, and mortality. Eur Heart J. Published 9 April 2024. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehae216
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it