Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
One-year outcomes in atrial fibrillation presenting during infections: a nationwide registry-based study
- Retrospective cohort study
- nationwide registry-based
- matched 1:3
Authors' conclusion
During the first year after discharge, 36% of patients with infection-related AF had a new hospital contact with AF. Infection-related AF was associated with increased risk of thromboembolic events compared with infection without AF
Study context
- Population
- Atrial fibrillation (AF)-naïve patients admitted with infection, Danish nationwide registries, 1996–2016matched cohort
- Participants
- 30,307 vs 90,912
- Exposure
- Infection-related AF vs infection without AF
- Infection-related AFn = 30,307
- Infection without AFn = 90,912reference
- Outcome
- AF and thromboembolic events
- Follow-up
- 1 year
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Infection-related AF
36.4%
AF · Thromboembolic events 7.6%
Infection without AF
1.9%
AF · Thromboembolic events 4.4%
Infection-related AF vs Infection without AFHazard ratio (95% CI)
AF; multivariable
25.98(24.64–27.39)
thromboembolic events; multivariable
2.10(1.98–2.22)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Risks by infection subtype
- Differences in risks existed across different subtypes of infections
Original publication
One-year outcomes in atrial fibrillation presenting during infections: a nationwide registry-based study. Eur Heart J. Published 17 December 2019. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz873
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it