Persistent Asthma Is Associated With Increased Risk for Incident Atrial Fibrillation in the MESA
Key result
Persistent asthma was associated with an increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.03-2.14; P=0.03), an association not attenuated by adjustment for inflammatory biomarkers.
Why the study?
Asthma and AF share an underlying inflammatory pathophysiology, leading investigators to hypothesize that persistent asthmatics have a higher risk of developing AF and that systemic inflammation markers might attenuate this link.
Does persistent asthma increase the risk of incident atrial fibrillation in adults free of cardiovascular disease?
Population
6615 adults free of cardiovascular disease at baseline in MESA
Comparison
Persistent asthma vs intermittent asthma vs nonasthmatics
Design
Prospective longitudinal cohort study
Follow-up
Median of 12.9 years
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Persistent asthma may warrant enhanced AF surveillance; leaves open non-inflammatory pathways and need for confirmatory studies.
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=6,615)
Multicenter
Yes
Structured PICO
Does persistent asthma increase the risk of incident atrial fibrillation in adults free of cardiovascular disease?
P
Population
6,615 adults free of cardiovascular disease at baseline, followed for a median of 12.9 years for incident atrial fibrillation.
E
Exposure
Persistent asthma (defined as asthma requiring use of controller medications)
C
Comparator
Nonasthmatics and intermittent asthmatics (defined as asthma without use of controller medications)
O
Outcome
Incident atrial fibrillationhard clinical
Main Result
Hazard Ratio: 1.49 (95% CI 1.03–2.14)
Absolute Event Rate: 0.19% vs 0.11%
p-value: p=0.03
Persistent asthma is associated with a significantly increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation, which is not attenuated by adjustment for baseline systemic inflammatory markers.
Cite This Study
Tattersall et al. (2020) conducted a cohort in Asthma (n=6,615). Persistent asthma vs. Nonasthmatics was evaluated on Incident atrial fibrillation (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.03-2.14, p=0.03). Persistent asthma was associated with an increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.03-2.14; P=0.03), an association not attenuated by adjustment for inflammatory biomarkers.