Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Comparison of excess mortality between atrial fibrillation, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke: trends over 2000–22
- Nationwide cohort study
- general Danish population as comparator
Authors' conclusion
AF was the condition or was among those with the smallest improvement in relative survival and AF and stroke showed the smallest improvement in 1-year excess mortality.
Study context
- Population
- All individuals newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke in Denmark, 2000–2021
- Exposure
- AF vs HF, MI and stroke
- AFn = 364,199
- HFn = 242,570
- MIn = 172,552
- Stroken = 281,407
- Outcome
- Trends in relative survival and excess mortality rates vs general population (adjusted for age, sex, calendar year)
- Follow-up
- 1, 5 and 10 years after diagnosis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Average improvement in relative survival over calendar years
- AF smallest average improvement at 1 year (per year)
- 0.35%
- AF smallest average improvement at 5 years (per year)
- 0.58%
- 10 years: AF average improvement (per year; AF, MI, stroke smallest)
- 0.77%
- 10 years: MI average improvement (per year)
- 0.72%
- 10 years: stroke average improvement (per year)
- 0.80%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Average improvement in excess mortality rate over calendar years
- 1 year: AF (smallest, with stroke), additional deaths per 1000 person-years per year
- −1.02
- 1 year: stroke, additional deaths per 1000 person-years per year
- −0.96
- 5 years: MI smallest, additional deaths per 1000 person-years per year
- −0.13
- No average improvement in 10-year excess mortality rate for MI
Original publication
Comparison of excess mortality between atrial fibrillation, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke: trends over 2000–22. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 25 June 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf371
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it