Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Influence of Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure on the Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Women”

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HomeCirculationVol. 121, No. 5Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Influence of Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure on the Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Women” Free AccessLetterPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessLetterPDF/EPUBResponse to Letter Regarding Article, “Influence of Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure on the Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Women” David Conen, MD, MPH Usha B. Tedrow, MD, MSc, Bruce A. Koplan, MD, MPH, Robert J. Glynn, ScD, Julie E. Buring, ScD and Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH David ConenDavid Conen Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland Search for more papers by this author Usha B. TedrowUsha B. Tedrow Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass Search for more papers by this author , Bruce A. KoplanBruce A. Koplan Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass Search for more papers by this author , Robert J. GlynnRobert J. Glynn Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass Search for more papers by this author , Julie E. BuringJulie E. Buring Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass Search for more papers by this author and Christine M. AlbertChristine M. Albert Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass Search for more papers by this author Originally published9 Feb 2010https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.896639Circulation. 2010;121:e30We would like to thank Barrios et al for their interest in our study on the relationship between blood pressure and risk of incident atrial fibrillation.1 We also appreciate their positive comments on the potential impact of our article on future guidelines. Whereas a global approach on cardiovascular disease prevention is indeed essential, few studies have actually assessed this issue in patients who develop atrial fibrillation, and future studies are needed to define important risk factors for this highly prevalent disorder.Barrios et al also raise an interesting point about a possible association between heart rate and incident atrial fibrillation. In a post-hoc analysis of the Losartan Intervention for End Point Reduction in Hypertension (LIFE) study, higher heart rate was associated with an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation during follow-up,2 but we agree that it would be of interest to assess in greater detail the relationship between heart rate and incident atrial fibrillation. Unfortunately, data on heart rate were not systematically available in the Women’s Health Study, and we were therefore unable to further explore this important hypothesis. However, it is also important to point out that although multiple studies have shown an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals with higher resting heart rates, pure modulation of heart rate has not been successful so far in a selected heart failure population.3DisclosuresNone. References 1 Conen D, Tedrow UB, Koplan BA, Glynn RJ, Buring JE, Albert CM. Influence of systolic and diastolic blood pressure on the risk of incident atrial fibrillation in women. Circulation. 2009; 119: 2146–2152.LinkGoogle Scholar2 Okin PM, Wachtell K, Kjeldsen SE, Julius S, Lindholm LH, Dahlof B, Hille DA, Nieminen MS, Edelman JM, Devereux RB. Incidence of atrial fibrillation in relation to changing heart rate over time in hypertensive patients: the LIFE Study. Circ Arrhythmia Electrophysiol. 2008; 1: 337–343.LinkGoogle Scholar3 Fox K, Ford I, Steg PG, Tendera M, Ferrari R. Ivabradine for patients with stable coronary artery disease and left-ventricular systolic dysfunction (BEAUTIFUL): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2008; 372: 807–816.CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited ByLee S, Choi Y, Choi E, Han K, Lee E, Cha M, Oh S and Lip G (2019) Blood Pressure Variability and Incidence of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation, Hypertension, 75:2, (309-315), Online publication date: 1-Feb-2020. Wańkowicz P, Staszewski J, Dębiec A, Nowakowska-Kotas M, Szylińska A, Turoń-Skrzypińska A and Rotter I (2021) Pre-Stroke Statin Therapy Improves In-Hospital Prognosis Following Acute Ischemic Stroke Associated with Well-Controlled Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation, Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10.3390/jcm10143036, 10:14, (3036) February 9, 2010Vol 121, Issue 5 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.896639 Originally publishedFebruary 9, 2010 PDF download Advertisement SubjectsHypertension