Ambulatory blood pressure and long-term risk for atrial fibrillation

ObjectiveData on the contribution of ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) components to the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) are limited. We prospectively tested the hypothesis that ABP may represent a potentially modifiable risk factor for the development of AF in a European population study.MethodsWe recorded daytime blood pressure (BP) in 3956 subjects randomly recruited from the general population in five European countries. Of these participants, 2776 (70.2%) underwent complete 24-hour ABP monitoring. Median follow-up was 14 years. We defined daytime systolic BP load as the percentage BP readings above 135 mm Hg. The incidence of AF was assessed from ECGs obtained at baseline and follow-up and from records held by general practitioners and/or hospitals.ResultsOverall, during 58 810 person-years of follow-up, 143 participants experienced new-onset AF. In adjusted Cox models, each SD increase in baseline 24 hours, daytime and night-time systolic BP was associated with a 27% (P=0.0056), 22% (P=0.023) and 20% (P=0.029) increase in the risk for incident AF, respectively. Conventional systolic BP was borderline associated with the risk of AF (18%; P=0.06). As compared with the average population risk, participants in the lower quartile of daytime systolic BP load (<3%) had a 51% (P=0.0038) lower hazard for incident AF, whereas in the upper quartile (>38%), the risk was 46% higher (P=0.0094).ConclusionsSystolic ABP is a significant predictor of incident AF in a population-based cohort. We also observed that participants with a daytime systolic BP load >38% had significantly increased risk of incident AF.

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Sex-Specific Associations between Blood Pressure and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Subtypes in the Tromsø Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10071514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1514

Author(s):

Hilde Espnes ◽

Jocasta Ball ◽

Maja-Lisa Løchen ◽

Tom Wilsgaard ◽

Inger Njølstad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Pressure Management ◽

Reference Models ◽

Proportional Hazards Regression ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk

The aim of this study was to explore sex-specific associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP), hypertension, and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) subtypes, including paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent AF, in a general population. A total of 13,137 women and 11,667 men who participated in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994–1995) were followed up for incident AF until the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted using fractional polynomials for SBP to provide sex- and AF-subtype-specific hazard ratios (HRs) for SBP. An SBP of 120 mmHg was used as the reference. Models were adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors. Over a mean follow-up of 17.6 ± 6.6 years, incident AF occurred in 914 (7.0%) women (501 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 413 with permanent AF) and 1104 (9.5%) men (606 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 498 with permanent AF). In women, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 2.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60–2.76) for paroxysmal/persistent AF and an HR of 1.80 (95% CI 1.33–2.44) for permanent AF. In men, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.46–2.46) for paroxysmal/persistent AF, while there was no association with the risk of permanent AF. In conclusion, increasing SBP was associated with an increased risk of both paroxysmal/persistent AF and permanent AF in women, but only paroxysmal/persistent AF in men. Our findings highlight the importance of sex-specific risk stratification and optimizing blood pressure management for the prevention of AF subtypes in clinical practice.

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Acute cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in patients with hyperthyroidism: a population-based cohort study

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-16-0576 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 176 (1) ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Olaf M Dekkers ◽

Erzsébet Horváth-Puhó ◽

Suzanne C Cannegieter ◽

Jan P Vandenbroucke ◽

Henrik Toft Sørensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Cardiovascular Events ◽

Population Based ◽

Arterial Embolism ◽

Registration System ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality

Objective Several studies have shown an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hyperthyroidism, but most studies have been too small to address the effect of hyperthyroidism on individual cardiovascular endpoints. Our main aim was to assess the association among hyperthyroidism, acute cardiovascular events and mortality. Design It is a nationwide population-based cohort study. Data were obtained from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Patient Registry, which covers all Danish hospitals. We compared the rate of all-cause mortality as well as venous thromboembolism (VTE), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), ischemic and non-ischemic stroke, arterial embolism, atrial fibrillation (AF) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the two cohorts. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. Results The study included 85 856 hyperthyroid patients and 847 057 matched population-based controls. Mean follow-up time was 9.2 years. The HR for mortality was highest in the first 3 months after diagnosis of hyperthyroidism: 4.62, 95% CI: 4.40–4.85, and remained elevated during long-term follow-up (>3 years) (HR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.33–1.37). The risk for all examined cardiovascular events was increased, with the highest risk in the first 3 months after hyperthyroidism diagnosis. The 3-month post-diagnosis risk was highest for atrial fibrillation (HR: 7.32, 95% CI: 6.58–8.14) and arterial embolism (HR: 6.08, 95% CI: 4.30–8.61), but the risks of VTE, AMI, ischemic and non-ischemic stroke and PCI were increased also 2- to 3-fold. Conclusions We found an increased risk for all-cause mortality and acute cardiovascular events in patients with hyperthyroidism.

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Withdrawing monotherapy for hypertension using ambulatory blood pressure: a population-based community study with follow up for 1 year

Journal of Hypertension ◽

10.1097/00004872-199612000-00034 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. 1505-1506

Author(s):

N Prasad ◽

L Peebles ◽

J Anderson ◽

C MacCleod ◽

A D Watson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Ambulatory Blood Pressure ◽

Population Based ◽

Community Study

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Atrial Fibrillation Increases the Risk of Early-Onset Dementia in the General Population: Data from a Population-Based Cohort

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9113665 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 3665

Author(s):

Dongmin Kim ◽

Pil-Sung Yang ◽

Gregory Y.H. Lip ◽

Boyoung Joung

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Early Onset ◽

Late Onset ◽

Population Data ◽

The Elderly ◽

Population Based ◽

Early Onset Dementia ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Late Onset Dementia

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is considered a risk factor for dementia, especially in the elderly. However, the association between the two diseases is not well identified in different age subgroups. The association of incident AF with the development of dementia was assessed from 1 January 2005, to 31 December 2013, in 428,262 participants from a longitudinal cohort (the Korea National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening cohort). In total, 10,983 participants were diagnosed with incident AF during the follow-up period. The incidence of dementia was 11.3 and 3.0 per 1000 person-years in the incident-AF and without-AF groups, respectively. After adjustment for clinical variables, the risk of dementia was significantly elevated by incident AF, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.98 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.80–2.17, p < 0.001), even after censoring for stroke (HR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.55–1.94, p < 0.001). The HRs of incident AF for dementia onset before the age of 65 (early-onset dementia) and for onset after the age of 65 (late-onset dementia) were 2.91 (95% CI: 1.93–4.41) and 1.67 (95% CI: 1.49–1.87), respectively. Younger participants with AF were more prone to dementia development than older participants with AF (p for trend < 0.001). AF was associated with an increased risk of both early- and late-onset dementia, independent of clinical stroke.

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Hypertension burden and the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation: a nationwide population-based study

EP Europace ◽

10.1093/europace/euab116.508 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

SR Lee ◽

CS Park ◽

EK Choi ◽

HJ Ahn ◽

KD Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Population Based ◽

Total Study Population ◽

Funding Sources ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Burden Scale ◽

History Of ◽

Study Population ◽

Stage 1

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background The association between the cumulative hypertension burden and the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. Purpose We aimed to investigate the relationship between hypertension burden and the development of incident AF. Methods and Results: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified 3,726,172 subjects who underwent four consecutive annual health checkups between 2009 and 2013, with no history of AF. During the median follow-up of 5.2 years, AF was newly diagnosed in 22,012 patients (0.59% of the total study population, 1.168 per 1,000 person-years). Using the BP values at each health checkup, we determined the burden of hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP] ≥130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure [DBP] ≥80 mmHg), stratified as 0 to 4 per the hypertension criteria. The subjects were grouped according to hypertension burden scale 1 to 4: 20% (n = 742,806), 19% (n = 704,623), 19% (n = 713,258), 21% (n = 766,204), and 21% (n = 799,281). Compared to normal people, subjects with hypertension burdens of 1, 2, 3, and 4 were associated with an 8%, 18%, 26%, and 27% increased risk of incident AF, respectively. On semi-quantitative analyses with further stratification of stage 1 (SBP 130-139 mmHg or DBP 80-89 mmHg) and stage 2 (SBP ≥140 mmHg or DBP ≥90 mmHg) hypertension, the risk of AF increased with the hypertension burden by up to 71%. Conclusions Both a sustained exposure and the degree of increased blood pressure were associated with an increased risk of incident AF. Tailored blood pressure management should be emphasized to reduce the risk of AF. Abstract Figure.

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Blood Pressure Variability and Incidence of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.13708 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 309-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

So-Ryoung Lee ◽

You-Jung Choi ◽

Eue-Keun Choi ◽

Kyung-Do Han ◽

Euijae Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Diastolic Blood Pressure ◽

Blood Pressure Variability ◽

Blood Pressure Measurement ◽

Population Based ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Complete Set ◽

The Impact ◽

Fourth Quartile

Blood pressure variability is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but its association with atrial fibrillation (AF) is uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the association between visit-to-visit blood pressure variability and incident AF. This population-based cohort study used database from the Health Screening Cohort, which contained a complete set of medical claims and a biannual health checkup information of the Koran population. A total of 8 063 922 individuals who had at least 3 health checkups with blood pressure measurement between 2004 and 2010 were collected after excluding subjects with preexisting AF. Blood pressure variability was defined as variability independence of the mean and was divided into 4 quartiles. During a mean follow-up of 6.8 years, 140 086 subjects were newly diagnosed with AF. The highest blood pressure variability (fourth quartile) was associated with an increased risk of AF (hazard ratio, 95% CI; systolic blood pressure: 1.06, 1.05–1.08; diastolic blood pressure: 1.07, 1.05–1.08) compared with the lowest (first quartile). Among subjects in the fourth quartile in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure variability, the risk of AF was 7.6% higher than those in the first quartile. Moreover, this result was consistent in both patients with or without prevalent hypertension. In subgroup analysis, the impact of high blood pressure variability on AF development was stronger in high-risk subjects, who were older (≥65 years), with diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease. Our findings demonstrated that higher blood pressure variability was associated with a modestly increased risk of AF.

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Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Masked and White Coat Uncontrolled Hypertension

American Journal of Hypertension ◽

10.1093/ajh/hpaa185 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca Coccina ◽

Anna M Pierdomenico ◽

Matteo De Rosa ◽

Lorenzo Belli ◽

Melissa Foglietta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Sinus Rhythm ◽

Ambulatory Blood Pressure ◽

White Coat ◽

Uncontrolled Hypertension ◽

Hypertensive Patients ◽

New Onset

Abstract Background Risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in masked and white coat uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH and WUCH, respectively) has not yet been investigated. We assessed the risk of new-onset AF in MUCH and WUCH detected by ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Methods The occurrence of AF was evaluated in 2135 treated hypertensive patients aged >40 years, with baseline sinus rhythm, by electrocardiogram. Controlled hypertension (CH) was defined as clinic BP <140/90 mmHg and daytime BP, regardless of nighttime BP, <135/85 mmHg, MUCH as clinic BP <140/90 mmHg and daytime BP ≥135 and/or ≥85 mmHg, WUCH as clinic BP >140 and/or >90 mmHg and daytime BP <135/85 mmHg and sustained uncontrolled hypertension (SUCH) as clinic BP >140 and/or >90 mmHg and daytime BP >135 and/or >85 mmHg. Results MUCH was identified in 203 patients (9.5% of all the population, 29% of those with normal clinic BP) and WUCH in 503 patients (23.5% of all the population, 35% of those with high clinic BP). During the follow-up (mean 9.7 years), 116 cases of AF occurred. After adjustment for covariates, patients with MUCH (hazard ratio (HR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-3.85) and SUCH (HR 1.83, 95% CI, 1.04-3.21) had higher risk of new-onset AF than those with CH, whereas those with WUCH (HR 1.12, 95% CI, 0.59-2.13) did not. Conclusions When compared to patients with CH, those with MUCH and SUCH are at higher risk (approximately doubled) of new-onset AF, whereas those with WUCH are not.

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Cardiovascular outcomes, bleeding risk, and achieved blood pressure in patients on long-term anticoagulation with the thrombin antagonist dabigatran or warfarin: data from the RE-LY trial

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa247 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (30) ◽

pp. 2848-2859 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael Böhm ◽

Martina Brueckmann ◽

John W Eikelboom ◽

Michael Ezekowitz ◽

Mandy Fräßdorf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

High Risk ◽

Major Bleeding ◽

Oral Anticoagulation ◽

Bleeding Events ◽

High Risk Patients ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Patients

Abstract Aims A J-shaped association of cardiovascular events to achieved systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure was shown in high-risk patients. This association on oral anticoagulation is unknown. This analysis from RELY assessed the risks of death, stroke or systemic emboli, and bleeding according to mean achieved SBP and DBP in atrial fibrillation on oral anticoagulation. Methods and results RE-LY patients were followed for 2 years and recruited between 22 December 2005 until 15 December 2007. 18.113 patients were randomized in 951 centres in 54 countries and 18,107 patients with complete blood pressure (BP) data were analysed with a median follow-up of 2.0 years and a complete follow-up in 99.9%. The association between achieved mean SBP and DBP on all-cause death, stroke and systemic embolic events (SSE), major, and any bleeding were explored. On treatment, SBP >140 mmHg and <120 mmHg was associated with all-cause death compared with SBP 120–130 mmHg (reference). For SSE, risk was unchanged at SBP <110 mmHg but increased at 140–160 mmHg (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.81; 1.40–2.33) and SBP ≥160 mmHg (HR 3.35; 2.09–5.36). Major bleeding events were also increased at <110 mmHg and at 110 to <120 mmHg. Interestingly, there was no increased risk of major bleeding at SBP >130 mmHg. Similar patterns were observed for DBP with an increased risk at <70 mmHg (HR 1.55; 1.35–1.78) and >90 mmHg (HR 1.88; 1.43–2.46) for all-cause death compared to 70 to <80 mmHg (reference). Risk for any bleeding was increased at low DBP <70 mmHg (HR 1.46; 1.37–1.56) at DBP 80 to <90 mmHg (HR 1.13; 1.06–1.31) without increased risk at higher achieved DBP. Dabigatran 150 mg twice daily showed an advantage in all patients for all-cause death and SSE and there was an advantage for 110 mg dabigatran twice daily for major bleeding and any bleeding irrespective of SBP or DBP achieved. Similar results were obtained for baseline BP, time-updated BP, and BP as time-varying covariate. Conclusion Low achieved SBP associates with increased risk of death, SSE, and bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation on oral anticoagulation. Major bleeding events did not occur at higher BP. Low BP might identify high-risk patients not only for death but also for high bleeding risks. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov—Identifier: NCT00262600.

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Long-term blood pressure trajectories and incident atrial fibrillation in women and men: the Tromsø Study

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehz234 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (16) ◽

pp. 1554-1562 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ekaterina Sharashova ◽

Tom Wilsgaard ◽

Jocasta Ball ◽

Bente Morseth ◽

Eva Gerdts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Exposure Period ◽

Population Based ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Mixed Modelling ◽

Over Time

Abstract Aims To explore sex-specific associations between long-term individual blood pressure (BP) patterns and risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) in the general population. Methods and results Blood pressure was measured in 8376 women and 7670 men who attended at least two of the three population-based Tromsø Study surveys conducted in 1986–87, 1994–95, and 2001. Participants were followed for incident AF throughout 2013. Latent mixed modelling was used to identify long-term trajectories of systolic BP and hypertension. Cox regression was used to estimate associations between the identified trajectories and incident AF. Elevated systolic BP throughout the exposure period (1986–2001) independently and differentially increased risk of AF in women and men. In women, having elevated systolic BP trajectories doubled AF risk compared to having persistently low levels, irrespective of whether systolic BP increased, decreased, or was persistently high over time, with hazard ratios of 1.88 (95% confidence interval 1.37–2.58), 2.32 (1.61–3.35), and 1.94 (1.28–2.94), respectively. In men, those with elevated systolic BP that continued to increase over time had a 50% increased AF risk: 1.51 (1.09–2.10). When compared to those persistently normotensive, women developing hypertension during the exposure period, and women and men with hypertension throughout the exposure period had 1.40 (1.06–1.86), 2.75 (1.99–3.80), and 1.36 (1.10–1.68) times increased risk of AF, respectively. Conclusion Long-term BP and hypertension trajectories were associated with increased incidence of AF in both women and men, but the associations were stronger in women.

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What Is the Ideal Blood Pressure Threshold for the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly General Population?

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9092988 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 2988 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yoon Jung Park ◽

Pil-Sung Yang ◽

Hee Tae Yu ◽

Tae-Hoon Kim ◽

Eunsun Jang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Pressure Threshold ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Clinical Covariates ◽

Blood Pressure Threshold ◽

Multivariable Adjustment ◽

Intensive Blood Pressure

Intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering in patients with hypertension at increased risk of cardiovascular disease has been associated with a lowered risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF). It is uncertain whether maintaining the optimal BP levels can prevent AF in the general elderly population. We included 115,866 participants without AF in the Korea National Health Insurance Service-Senior (≥60 years) cohort from 2002 to 2013. We compared the influence of BP on the occurrence of new-onset AF between octogenarians (≥80 years) and non-octogenarians (<80 years) subjects. With up to 6.7 ± 1.7 years of follow-up, 4393 incident AF cases occurred. After multivariable adjustment for potentially confounding clinical covariates, the risk of AF in non-octogenarians was significantly higher in subjects with BP levels of <120/<80 and ≥140/90 mm Hg, with hazard ratios of 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–1.28; p < 0.001) and 1.14 (95% CI, 1.04–1.26; p < 0.001), compared to the optimal BP levels (120–129/<80 mm Hg). In octogenarians, the optimal BP range was 130–139/80–89 mm Hg, higher than in non-octogenarians. A U-shaped relationship for the development of incident AF was evident in non-octogenarians, and BP levels of 120–129/<80 mm Hg were associated the lowest risk of incident AF. Compared to non-octogenarians, the lowest risk of AF was associated with higher BP levels of 130–139/80–89 mm Hg amongst octogenarians.

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