Title | Association of Peripheral Artery Disease With Incident Atrial Fibrillation: The ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) Study. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2018 |
Authors | Bekwelem W, Norby FL, Agarwal SK, Matsushita K, Coresh JJ, Alonso A |
Secondary Authors | Chen LYee |
Journal | J Am Heart Assoc |
Volume | 7 |
Issue | 8 |
Date Published | 2018 04 17 |
ISSN | 2047-9980 |
Keywords | Ankle Brachial Index, Atherosclerosis, Atrial Fibrillation, Electrocardiography, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, Peripheral Arterial Disease, Population Surveillance, Prospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Time Factors, United States |
Abstract | BACKGROUND: Although peripheral artery disease as defined by ankle-brachial index (ABI) is associated with incident atrial fibrillation (AF), questions remain about the risk of AF in borderline ABI (>0.90 to 1.4). We evaluated the association of borderline ABI and ABI >1.4 in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study, a population-based prospective cohort study. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 14 794 participants (age, 54.2±5.8 years, 55% women, 26% blacks) with ABI measured at the baseline (1987-1989) and without AF. AF was identified from hospital records, death certificates, and ECGs. Using Cox proportional hazards, we evaluated the association between ABI and AF. During a median follow-up of 23.3 years, there were 2288 AF cases. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) for AF among individuals with ABI 1.4 was not associated with increased AF risk. ABI ≤0.9 and borderline ABI were associated with a higher risk of AF compared with ABI 1.0 to 1.4. Demographics-adjusted HRs (95% confidence interval) were 1.43 (1.17-1.75) and 1.32 (1.16-1.50), respectively. However, the associations of ABI ≤0.9 and borderline ABI with AF were attenuated after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors (HR [95% confidence interval], 1.10 [0.90-1.34] and 1.14 [1.00-1.30]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral artery disease indicated by low ABI, including borderline ABI, is a weak risk factor for AF. ABI >1.4 is not associated with an increased AF risk. The relationship between peripheral artery disease and AF appears to be mostly explained by traditional atherosclerotic risk factors. |
DOI | 10.1161/JAHA.117.007452 |
Alternate Journal | J Am Heart Assoc |
PubMed ID | 29666066 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC6015443 |
Grant List | R01 HL126637 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201700001I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States 16EIA26410001 / / American Heart Association-American Stroke Association / United States HHSN268201700004I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201700002I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201700005I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201700003I / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States |