Atrial fibrillation is an independent risk factor for new-onset myocardial infarction: a prospective study

Abstract

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and myocardial infarction (MI) share common cardiovascular risk factors, therefore coexistence of AF and MI is very common, in addition, both AF and MI aggravate and exacerbate each other through multiple pathological processes. The aim of this study is to investigate whether AF increases the risk of new-onset MI.

Methods

In total 171,086 participants from an industrial city in North China were selected and enrolled in this prospective cohort study, participants were divided into the AF group or the non-AF group according to their medical history. 1542 participants from the AF group were propensity-matched with 4626 participants from the non-AF group. All the participants were followed up every 2 years from June 2006 to December 2020, the median follow-up was 14.25 years and the endpoint of this study was new-onset MI. The association between AF and new-onset MI was analysed by using both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.

Results

New-onset MI was documented in 56 cases from the AF group and 98 cases from the non-AF group, respectively, the cumulative incidence of new-onset MI in the AF group (3.73%) was significantly higher than that in the non-AF group (2.23%) (p < 0.01). In a univariate analysis, AF was associated with an increased risk of new-onset MI (hazard ratio: 1.73, 95% confidence interval: 1.24–2.40), in two multivariable-adjusted analyses, AF was still associated with an increased risk of new-onset MI (hazard ratio: 1.78, 95% confidence interval, 1.28–2.47).

Conclusions

AF is an independent risk factor for new-onset MI in an industrial population of North China.

Keywords:

• Atrial fibrillation
• new-onset myocardial infarction
• prospective study
• industrial population
• arrhythmia
• ischemic vascular diseases

Author contributions

Quanle Han, Shouling Wu and Kangbo Li contributed equally to designing the rationale and protocol of this study. All authors contributed to data collection, statistical analysis and interpretation of results.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Key Scientific Research Project (No. 20221777), Health Commission of Hebei Province.