Key result
Atrial fibrillation was associated with a 4.45-fold increased risk of developing heart failure, accounting for 2.6% of the global heart failure burden and affecting 1.5 million people in 2019.
Why the study?
No estimates were available on the magnitude of the global, regional, and national burden of heart failure associated with atrial fibrillation.
Supports closer HF monitoring in AF; extends global burden estimates for prevention research.
Background: Heart failure is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, and Atrial fibrillation (AF) is among many modifiable risk factors for heart failure. No estimates are available on the magnitude of the burden of heart failure associated with AF, and this study estimated the global, regional, and national burdens associated with AF. Methods: We used the comparative risk assessment method to estimate the disease burden in terms of prevalence and years lived with disability (YLD). The population-attributable fraction for heart failure and AF was calculated from prevalence estimates of AF and the recalculated relative risks of heart failure associated with AF from a systematic review summarising the longitudinal association between AF and outcomes. The burden of heart failure was retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease database. Results: Globally, 2.6% (95% uncertainty interval 1.3 to 4.7%) of the burden of heart failure is associated with AF. This was 1.5 (95% UI 0.6 to 3.2) million people in 2019, a 49.8% increase from 1990. The highest prevalence was from South-East Asia, East Asia and Oceania. The highest YLD was estimated for Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. High-income countries showed a sharp decline in the age standardised prevalence and YLD rates from 1990 to 2019. Conclusion: The burden of heart failure associated with AF has increased substantially over the past two decades despite the advances in AF management. However, falling prevalence and YLD rates of heart failure associated with AF in high-income countries over time indicate that reducing this burden is possible.
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Kularatna et al. (2023) studied Heart failure associated with atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation vs. Without atrial fibrillation was evaluated on Risk of developing heart failure (RR 4.45, 95% CI 3.28-6.04). Atrial fibrillation was associated with a 4.45-fold increased risk of developing heart failure, accounting for 2.6% of the global heart failure burden and affecting 1.5 million people in 2019.
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