Abstract
Arterial hypertension is a leading risk factor for developing atrial fibrillation. CHA2DS2-VASc score can help to decide if patients with atrial fibrillation need anticoagulation. Whether CHA2DS2-VASc may predicts incident atrial fibrillation and how it interacts with left atrial dilatation is unknown. We tested this hypothesis in a large registry of treated hypertensive patients. From 12154 hypertensive patients we excluded those with prevalent atrial fibrillation (n 51), without follow-up (n 3496), or carotid ultrasound (n 1891), and low ejection fraction (i.e. <50%, n 119). A CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥3 was compared with CHA2DS2-VASc score ≤2. Incident symptomatic or occasionally detected atrial fibrillation was the end-point of the present analysis. At baseline, 956 (15%) patients exhibited high CHA2DS2-VASc; they were older, most likely to be women, obese and diabetic, with lower glomerular filtration rate, and higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, left-atrial dilatation and carotid plaque (all p < 0.005). Prevalent Stroke/TIA was found only in the subgroup with high CHA2DS2-VASc. During follow-up (median = 54 months) atrial fibrillation was identified in 121 patients, 2.57-fold more often in patients with high CHA2DS2-VASc (95% Cl 1.71–4.86 p < 0.0001). In multivariable Cox analysis, CHA2DS2-VASc increased incidence of atrial fibrillation by 3-fold, independently of significant effect of left-atrial dilatation (both p < 0.0001) and other markers of organ damage. Incident AF is more than doubled in hypertensive patients with CHA2DS2-VASc ≥3. Coexisting CHA2DS2-VASc score >3 and LA dilatation identify high risk subjects potentially needing more aggressive management to prevent AF and associated cerebrovascular ischemic events.
Highlights
CHA2DS2-VASc; they were older, most likely to be women, obese and diabetic, with lower glomerular filtration rate, and higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, left-atrial dilatation and carotid plaque
Our study demonstrates that in a large population of hypertensive treated patients: (1) CHA2DS2-VASc score predicts development of atrial fibrillation (AF), independently of markers of target organ damage, including chronic kidney disease, LV hypertrophy (LVH), carotid plaque and LA dilatation
We conducted an extensive evaluation of hypertensive target organ damage
Summary
CHA2DS2-VASc; they were older, most likely to be women, obese and diabetic, with lower glomerular filtration rate, and higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, left-atrial dilatation and carotid plaque (all p < 0.005). Arterial hypertension (Hpt) is a major cardiovascular disorder and atrial fibrillation (AF) the most common arrhythmia. These conditions frequently overlaps and their prevalence increases with age. Since the prevalence of both medical conditions is increasing paralleling human life expectation, AF in hypertensive patients will become a leading risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the future[1]. CHA2DS2-VASc score has been demonstrated to be useful in early risk stratification of patients with non-valvular AF in terms of intracardiac thrombogenesis and cardioembolism[5], and allows to start antithrombotic treatments with a net favourable balance between stroke prevention and bleeding complications[6,7,8]
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