Relation between parameters of body composition and echocardiography in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

Purpose: Both nutritional status and echocardiographic parameters are associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between parameters of transthoracic echocardiography and nutritional status assessment as risk factors for AF. Methods: This cross-sectional study considered 120 consecutive patients hospitalized due to AF and 240 inpatients admitted due to exacerbation of cardiovascular conditions. Echocardiographic parameters and parameters of nutritional status were determined for each patient. Results: Patients in the lowest body mass index (BMI) quartile and without visceral adiposity had the lowest standard echocardiographic parameters; however, the majority of these differences disappeared after the parameters were indexed to BSA. In logistic regression analysis, echocardiographic parameters were associated with slightly higher or similar AF risk comparing with parameters of nutritional status assessment. When the comparison was made in relation to cut-off values obtained in ROC analysis, then having a visceral adipose tissue (VAT) score ≥ 12 was associated with a lower increase in AF risk (odds ratio [OR]; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.09; 1.85–5.15) than the risk increase associated with e.g. left atrium diameter greater than 45mm ([OR; 95% CI] 10.483; 6.308–17.421). Conclusions: The unitary values of echocardiographic and body composition parameters only slightly differed in relation to the risk of AF occurrence, however, the use of cut-off values significantly increases an impact of echocardiography on the prediction of AF. The U-shaped relationships between a patient’s nutritional status and AF occurrence cannot be explained by the effect of body mass on cardiac structure and size.