High rate of mortality in Spanish community-dwelling population aged 85 with atrial fibrillation after three years of follow-up: The Octabaix study

AIM: To assess the possible association between three-year global mortality and atrial fibrillation (AF) in 328 community-dwelling participants aged 85 at baseline. METHODS: Sociodemographic data, comorbidity and geriatric assessment tools, thromboembolic risk, and AF therapy were assessed. We compared the patients who survived with those who died. RESULTS: At baseline, 41 (12.5%) of participants had permanent AF, and 13 of them died (31.7%) after the three-year follow-up period compared with 44 (15.3%) of the rest of cohort (P = 0.01). Cox regression analysis identified two significant clinical variables as independent predictors of three-year risk of global mortality: Lawton Index (hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.75-0.91) and AF (hazard ratio 1.90, 95% confidence interval 1.01-3.56). None of the other of variables evaluated showed predictive value of global mortality in the AF patients. CONCLUSION: In oldest old community-dwelling participants, AF is an independent risk factor for global mortality after a three-year follow-up period.