Associations between Plasma Antibody Levels against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Atrial Fibrillation among Community-Dwelling Older Individuals in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

To investigate the association between plasma antibody levels against Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG) and atrial fibrillation (AF) history in community-dwelling older individuals in Japan. This study was a subset of the Uonuma cohort study, including 3091 participants aged 60-79 years. Data were collected, including AF history as a dependent variable, plasma immunoglobulin G antibody levels against PG as an independent variable, and previously reported AF risk factors and demographic information as covariates. The median age of the participants was 69 years. Of the 3091 participants, 1411 (45.6%) were men, and 56 (1.8%) had an AF history. AF prevalence was significantly higher in participants with higher antibody levels against PG than in those with lower antibody levels (3.0% vs 1.4%; p = 0.005). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that participants with higher antibody levels against PG had twofold higher odds of having AF (odds ratio = 2.13; 95% confidence interval = 1.23-3.69). Restricted cubic spline analysis indicated a nonlinear relationship between antibody levels against PG and AF history. Plasma antibody levels against PG were associated with AF history in community-dwelling older individuals in Japan.