Cardiometabolic & kidneyResearch article
Sex-specific associations between midlife body mass index and later-life left atrial enlargement in the Hordaland health study
- Hordaland Health Study
- followed for 26 years
- sex-specific Poisson regression analyses
Authors' conclusion
Increased BMI in early midlife was more strongly associated with LAE later in life in women. These results point to a sex-biased vulnerability to overweight-induced LAE and highlight the importance of weight control in midlife, especially in women.
Study context
- Population
- Women and men aged 42 years at baseline in the Hordaland Health Study1,051 women and 889 men · women 1,051 · men 889
- Participants
- 1,051 vs 889
- Comparison
- Associations between baseline body mass index (BMI) and left atrial enlargement (LAE) at follow-up, by sex
- womenn = 1,051
- menn = 889
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
LAE prevalence · follow-up
Further findings
| Outcome | women | men | Risk difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAE risk with overweight · higher in women | 0.16 (95% CI 0.08–0.25) | |||
| RR | 1.45 (95% CI 1.27 to 1.65) | 1.26 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.46) | ||
| LAE risk with obesity | 0.12 (CI −0.11 to 0.34) | |||
| RR | 1.48 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.92) | 1.41 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.90) | ||
| −0.200.20.4Difference (linear scale) |
Relative excess risk due to interaction (female sex and overweight)
- RERI
- 0.25 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.49)
- positive additive interaction between female sex and overweight
Baseline overweight and obesity
- overweight was less common in women than men while obesity prevalence did not differ
Original publication
Sex-specific associations between midlife body mass index and later-life left atrial enlargement in the Hordaland health study. Heart. Published 11 June 2026. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2025-327623
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it