Key Points
- The study aims to investigate if racial differences in risk factor associations can explain the lower incidence of atrial fibrillation in blacks compared to whites.
- Analyzed baseline risk factor data from 4,774 white and 911 black participants aged 65 and older.
- Used Cox regression to assess the relationship between risk factors, race, and incident atrial fibrillation.
- Monitored participants over a mean follow-up of 11.2 years to identify new cases of atrial fibrillation.
- 1,403 whites and 182 blacks experienced incident atrial fibrillation during follow-up.
- Blacks showed a higher hazard ratio (HR = 1.72) for left ventricular wall thickness impacting atrial fibrillation compared to whites (HR = 1.30).
- The overall relative risk of atrial fibrillation was 25% lower in blacks after adjusting for age and sex (HR = 0.75); it was 45% lower when adjusting for all risk factors (HR = 0.55).
Structured PICO
Does race affect the incidence of and risk factors for atrial fibrillation in older adults?
PPopulation5,685 adults aged 65 and older (4,774 white and 911 black) without a history of atrial fibrillation at baseline from the Cardiovascular Health Study
OOutcomeIncident atrial fibrillation determined according to hospital discharge diagnosis or annual study electrocardiogramhard clinical
In older adults, the incidence of atrial fibrillation is significantly lower in blacks than whites, a difference that is not explained by varying associations of traditional risk factors.