FC 069CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A DANGEROUS COMBINATION

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are both risk factors for bleeding, stroke and mortality. Whether the combination of CKD and AF leads to higher risks of bleeding, stroke and mortality than CKD or AF alone is not known. The aim of our study was to investigate the interaction between CKD and AF and outcomes. Method We included 12,394 subjects referred to the University Medical Center Utrecht (the Netherlands) from September 1996 to February 2018f for an out-patient visit with classical risk factors for arterial disease or with symptomatic arterial disease (Utrecht Cardiovascular Cohort Second Manifestation of Arterial disease (UCC-SMART) cohort). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for bleeding, ischemic stroke or mortality were calculated with Cox proportional hazards analyses. Presence of additive interaction between AF and CKD was examined by calculating the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), the attributable proportion (AP) due to interaction and the synergy index (S). Results Of the 12,394 patients, 699 patients had AF, 2,752 patients had CKD and 325 patients had both AF and CKD. Overall, 382 patients developed a first bleeding event, 421 patients had a first ischemic stroke and 2203 patients died. Patients with both CKD and AF had a 3.0-fold (95% CI 2.0-4.4) increased risk for bleeding, a 4.2-fold (95% CI 3.0-6.0) increased ischemic stroke risk and a 2.2-fold (95% CI 1.9-2.6) increased mortality risk after adjustment as compared with subjects without AF and CKD (Table 1). Although bleeding and mortality risks were highest for the combination of AF and CKD, we did not find interaction between AF and CKD. However, we found an interaction between AF and CKD for ischemic stroke risk (RERI 1.88 (95% CI 0.31-3.46), AP 0.45 (95% CI 0.17-0.72) and S 2.40 (95% CI 1.08-5.32)) (Table 1). Conclusion The combination of CKD and AF is associated with high risks for bleeding, ischemic stroke and mortality. There is a positive interaction between AF and CKD for ischemic stroke risk, but not for bleeding or mortality.