Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Health-related quality of life and healthcare costs of symptoms and cardiovascular disease events in patients with atrial fibrillation: a longitudinal analysis of 27 countries from the EURObservational Research Programme on Atrial Fibrillation general long-term registry
- Registry-based longitudinal cohort study
- multicentre
- 250 centres in 27 European countries
- fixed effects models
Authors' conclusion
Symptoms and CVD events are associated with a high burden on AF patients and healthcare systems throughout Europe.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in the EURObservational Research Programme on AF long-term general registry, 27 European countries250 centres · 27 countries
- Exposure
- AF patients with vs without symptoms or cardiovascular disease (CVD) events during follow-up
- Outcome
- HRQOL and annual healthcare costs associated with symptoms and CVD events
- Follow-up
- 2 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Change in HRQOL associated with event during follow-up
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) decrement
- STEMI vs No event
- −0.075 (95% CI −0.144 to −0.006)
- Angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) vs No event
- −0.037 (CI −0.071 to −0.003)
- New-onset/worsening HF vs No event
- −0.064 (CI −0.088 to −0.039)
- Bleeding events vs No event
- −0.031 (CI −0.059 to −0.003)
- Thromboembolic events vs No event
- −0.071 (CI −0.115 to −0.027)
- Mild symptoms vs No symptoms · sign as printed
- 0.037 (CI −0.048 to −0.026)
- Severe/disabling symptoms vs No symptoms
- −0.090 (CI −0.108 to −0.072)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | cost increase (CI) |
|---|---|
| Increase in annual healthcare costs vs AF patients without the event · during follow-up — STEMI vs No event | €11 718 (€8497, €14 939) |
| Increase in annual healthcare costs vs AF patients without the event · during follow-up — Angina/NSTEMI vs No event | €5823 (€4757, €6889) |
| Increase in annual healthcare costs vs AF patients without the event · during follow-up — New-onset or worsening HF vs No event | €3689 (€3219, €4158) |
| Increase in annual healthcare costs vs AF patients without the event · during follow-up — Bleeding events vs No event | €3792 (€3315, €4270) |
| Increase in annual healthcare costs vs AF patients without the event · during follow-up — Thromboembolic events vs No event | €3182 (€2483, €3881) |
Increase in annual healthcare costs vs AF patients without the event · during follow-up
- Costs primarily driven by inpatient costs
HRQOL and healthcare resource use by EU region or sex
- No significant differences between EU regions or by sex
Original publication
Health-related quality of life and healthcare costs of symptoms and cardiovascular disease events in patients with atrial fibrillation: a longitudinal analysis of 27 countries from the EURObservational Research Programme on Atrial Fibrillation general long-term registry. Europace. Published 29 May 2024. doi:10.1093/europace/euae146
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it