Arrhythmias & electrophysiology
Day-to-day measurement of physical activity and risk of atrial fibrillation
Main finding · AF onset the next day per 1-h decrease in average daily physical activityResult — go to the resultOdds ratio 1.24 CI 1.18–1.31Authors' conclusion
Within-individual changes in physical activity are associated with the onset of AF episodes as detected by continuous monitoring in a high-risk population.
Study context
- Population
- General-population adults with risk factors and no prior atrial fibrillation (AF) (46.2% women, mean age 74.7 ± 4.1 years)≈3.5 years monitoring
- Participants
- 1,410 adults
- Exposure
- Within-individual decrease in daily physical activity
- Outcome
- AF onset (episodes ≥60 min) the next day
Methodological detailscontinuous monitoring with implantable loop recorder, daily accelerometry
- Continuous monitoring with implantable loop recorder
- Daily accelerometry
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
AF onset the next day per 1-h decrease in average daily physical activity
Odds ratio
1.24
CI 1.18–1.31
1-h decrease in average daily physical activity
OR 1.24 (CI 1.18–1.31)
Per 1-h decrease in average daily physical, as printed
- AF episodes ≥60 min detected
- 10 851 episodes in 361 participants (25.6%)
- Median episodes per participant with AF
- 5 (2, 25)
- Median daily physical activity
- 112 (66, 168) min/day
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR (CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| AF onset per 1-h activity decrease, by tertile of overall activity (subgroup)Low activity tertile | 1.62 (1.41–1.86) | |
| AF onset per 1-h activity decrease, by tertile of overall activity (subgroup)Mid activity tertile | 1.27 (1.16–1.39) | |
| AF onset per 1-h activity decrease, by tertile of overall activity (subgroup)High activity tertile | 1.10 (1.01–1.19) | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
- AF onset per 1-h activity decrease, by tertile of overall activity (subgroup): interaction P < 0.001
Original publication
Day-to-day measurement of physical activity and risk of atrial fibrillation. Eur Heart J. Published 2 September 2021. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it