Atrial Fibrillation In Postmenopausal Women Research Articles

Association Between Insomnia, Stress Events, and Other Psychosocial Factors and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Postmenopausal Women: Insights From the Women's Health Initiative.

Background The association between psychosocial factors and atrial fibrillation (AF) is poorly understood. Methods and Results Postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative were retrospectively analyzed to identify incident AF in relation to a panel of validated psychosocial exposure variables, as assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression and hierarchical cluster analysis. Among the 83 736 women included, the average age was 63.9±7.0 years. Over an average of 10.5±6.2 years follow-up, there were 23 954 cases of incident AF. Hierarchical cluster analysis generated 2 clusters of highly correlated psychosocial variables: the Stress Cluster included stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and insomnia, and the Strain Cluster included optimism, social support, social strain, cynical hostility, and emotional expressiveness. Incident AF was associated with higher values in the Stress Cluster (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07 per unit cluster score [95% CI, 1.05-1.09]) and the Strain Cluster (HR, 1.03 per unit cluster score [95% CI, 1.00-1.05]). Of the 8 individual psychosocial predictors that were tested, insomnia (HR, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.03-1.06]) and stressful life events (HR, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.04]) were most strongly associated with increased incidence of AF in Cox regression analysis after multivariate adjustment. Subgroup analyses showed that the Strain Cluster was more strongly associated with incident AF in those with lower traditional AF risks (P for interaction=0.02) as determined by the cohorts for heart and aging research in genomic epidemiology for atrial fibrillation score. Conclusions Among postmenopausal women, 2 clusters of psychosocial stressors were found to be significantly associated with incident AF. Further research is needed to validate these associations.

Clinical Impact of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Atrial Fibrillation in Postmenopausal Women: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF), especially women, have an increased risk of stroke and death. Although hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely used in postmenopausal women, the association between HRT use and AF risk is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between various types of HRT and AF. This was a population-based retrospective cohort study from The Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (2004–2015). Participants were aged 45–60 years and were free from cardiovascular disease and AF at baseline. Overall, 13,452 (64.03%) women had never received HRT, 5671 (26.99%) had received HRT, and 1885 (8.98%) were currently receiving HRT. In multivariable analysis, the relative hazards for AF were significantly higher among current users (p < 0.001) and lower among past users (p = 0.069). Current users—except those using estradiol-only HRT—had significantly elevated AF risk. Among past users, only estradiol plus progestin HRT users had a reduced AF risk after adjusting for covariates (p = 0.027). Ongoing HRT posed an increased risk of AF. The degree of risk varied based on the specific type of estrogen and progestins co-administration. These findings indicate that, with respect to AF risk, oral estradiol-containing HRT is superior to HRT containing oral conjugated equine estrogen or tibolone.

Clinical impact of hormone replacement therapy on lone atrial fibrillation in postmenopausal women: a nationwide cohort study

Clinical impact of hormone replacement therapy on lone atrial fibrillation in postmenopausal women: a nationwide cohort study

Different Influence of Blood Pressure on New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

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Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation in Postmenopausal Women with Endometrial Cancer.

Endometrial cancer (EC) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including atrial fibrillation (AF). We performed a prospective, case-controlled analysis among 310 Bulgarian women with new-onset, histologically confirmed EC, free of AF at the baseline survey, and women with normal (senile) endometrium/endometrial hyperplasia as a control group (n = 205). The risk of AF as well as relationship of adiponectin (APN) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels with AF in women with EC were calculated by Cox proportional hazards models. During the mean follow-up of 2.5 ± 0.5 years, new-onset AF had occurred in 11.7% of women with EC vs. 5.8% in the control group (p < 0.01). The risk of AF was highest in the first 6 months after new-onset EC, with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 1.19 (95% CI 1.10–1.29; p = 0.01). Women with EC, who were obese (body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2) and younger (age < 60) were found to be more likely to develop AF (HR 1.95; 95% CI 1.18–3.32; p = 0.05). APN levels were not significantly associated with new-onset AF (95% CI 0.87–1.21; p = 0.063). However, the secondary analysis showed evidence of APN–AF association when adjusted for BMI (2.05; 95% CI 1.04–4.04; p = 0.037). We conclude that EC was significantly associated with the incidence of AF.

Vitamin D with calcium supplementation and risk of atrial fibrillation in postmenopausal women

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in adults. Although vitamin D deficiency is associated with AF risk factors, retrospective studies of association with AF have shown mixed results. We sought to determine the efficacy of calcium and vitamin D (CaD) supplementation for AF prevention in a randomized trial. We performed a secondary analysis of the Women's Health Initiative trial on CaD supplementation versus placebo. We linked participants to their Medicare claims to ascertain incident AF. Among 16,801 included participants, there were 1,453 (8.6%) cases of incident AF over an average of 4.5 years, at an average rate of 19.9 events per 1,000 person-years. We found no significant difference in incident AF rates between the CaD and placebo arms (hazard ratio 1.02 for CaD vs placebo, 95% CI 0.92-1.13). After multivariate adjustment, there was no significant association between baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels and incident AF (hazard ratio 0.92 for lowest subgroup vs highest subgroup, 95% CI 0.66-1.28). We present the first analysis of a large randomized trial of daily vitamin D supplementation for AF prevention. We found that CaD had no effect on incidence of AF in Women's Health Initiative CaD trial participants. We also found that baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was not predictive of long-term incident AF risk.

Cancer antigen-125 plasma level as a biomarker of new-onset atrial fibrillation in postmenopausal women

ObjectivePlasma cancer antigen (CA)-125 is a tumour marker recently shown to be associated with systolic heart failure and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after myocardial infarction. However, no reports have described...

Estrogenic Impact on Cardiac Ischemic/Reperfusion Injury.

The increase in cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome incidence following the onset of menopause has highlighted the role of estrogen as a cardiometabolic protective agent. Specifically regarding the heart, estrogen induced an improvement in cardiac function, preserved calcium homeostasis, and inhibited the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. The beneficial effects of estrogen in relation to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, such as reduced infarction and ameliorated post-ischemic recovery, have also been shown. Nevertheless, controversial findings exist and estrogen therapy is reported to be related to a higher rate of thromboembolic events and atrial fibrillation in post-menopausal women. Therefore, greater clarification is needed to evaluate the exact potential of estrogen use in cases of cardiac I/R injury. This article reviews the effects of estrogen, in both acute and chronic treatment, and collates the studies with regard to their in vivo, in vitro, or clinical trial settings in cases of cardiac I/R injury and myocardial infarction.

Lean body mass and risk of incident atrial fibrillation in post-menopausal women.

High body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to determine whether lean body mass (LBM) predicts AF. The Women's Health Initiative is a study of post-menopausal women aged 50-79 enrolled at 40 US centres from 1994 to 1998. A subset of 11 393 participants at three centres underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Baseline demographics and clinical histories were recorded. Incident AF was identified using hospitalization records and diagnostic codes from Medicare claims. A multivariable Cox hazard regression model adjusted for demographic and clinical risk factors was used to evaluate associations between components of body composition and AF risk. After exclusion for prevalent AF or incomplete data, 8832 participants with an average age of 63.3 years remained for analysis. Over the 11.6 years of average follow-up time, 1035 women developed incident AF. After covariate adjustment, all measures of LBM were independently associated with higher rates of AF: total LBM [hazard ratio (HR) 1.24 per 5 kg increase, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.14-1.34], central LBM (HR 1.51 per 5 kg increase, 95% CI 1.31-1.74), and peripheral LBM (HR 1.39 per 5 kg increase, 95% CI 1.19-1.63). The association between total LBM and AF remained significant after adjustment for total fat mass (HR 1.22 per 5 kg increase, 95% CI 1.13-1.31). Greater LBM is a strong independent risk factor for AF. After adjusting for obesity-related risk factors, the risk of AF conferred by higher BMI is primarily driven by the association between LBM and AF.

Obesity, physical activity, and their interaction in incident atrial fibrillation in postmenopausal women.

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with increased risk of stroke and death. Obesity is an independent risk factor for AF, but modifiers of this risk are not well known. We studied the roles of obesity, physical activity, and their interaction in conferring risk of incident AF.Methods and ResultsThe Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study was a prospective observational study of 93 676 postmenopausal women followed for an average of 11.5 years. Incident AF was identified using WHI‐ascertained hospitalization records and diagnostic codes from Medicare claims. A multivariate Cox's hazard regression model adjusted for demographic and clinical risk factors was used to evaluate the interaction between obesity and physical activity and its association with incident AF. After exclusion of women with prevalent AF, incomplete data, or underweight body mass index (BMI), 9792 of the remaining 81 317 women developed AF. Women were, on average, 63.4 years old, 7.8% were African American, and 3.6% were Hispanic. Increased BMI (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12 per 5‐kg/m2 increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 1.14) and reduced physical activity (>9 vs. 0 metabolic equivalent task hours per week; HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.96) were independently associated with higher rates of AF after multivariate adjustment. Higher levels of physical activity reduced the AF risk conferred by obesity (interaction P=0.033).ConclusionsGreater physical activity is associated with lower rates of incident AF and modifies the association between obesity and incident AF.

EComment. Atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing thoracic surgery

We have read with interest the article 'Lower preoperative fluctuation of heart rate variability is an independent risk factor for postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing major pulmonary resection' by Pawel Ciszewski and coworkers [1]. In that very well-designed study Ciszewski et al. concluded that preoperative lower fluctuation of heart rate variability (HRV) is an independent atrial fibrillation (AF) riskŦactor in the postoperative period in patients undergoing major pulmonary resection. Atrial fibrillation is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality, making identification of modifiable risk factors a priority [2]. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been strongly associated with new-onset AF [3]. For this reason, kidney function is important in predicting mortality and morbidity in patients with AF. Serum creatinine level is the most common test for renal failure. On the other hand, elevated transaminase concentrations are related to increased risk of AF [4]. Furthermore, in the previous large population-based study, higher serum phosphorus and the related calcium-phosphorus product were also associated with a greater incidence of systemic embolism in patients with AF. Additionally, some medications may cause new-onset AF. The authors previously examined whether or not exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was a risk factor for AF. They concluded that recent NSAID use may predispose patients to AF [3]. Bisphosphonate use was also associated with a significant increase in the risk of serious AF in postmenopausal women [5]. In conclusion, the link between AF and thoracic surgery was presented in the current study. However, AF may be affected by many conditions and it would have been better if these factors had been included in the paper. Finally, we believe that the pivotal roles of those risk factors deserve further large-scale prospective randomized clinical trials. Conflict of interest: none declared

African American race but not genome-wide ancestry is negatively associated with atrial fibrillation among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in women and is associated with higher rates of stroke and death. Rates of AF are lower in African American subjects compared with European Americans, suggesting European ancestry could contribute to AF risk. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study (OS) followed up 93,676 women since the mid 1990s for various cardiovascular outcomes including AF. Multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis was used to measure the association between African American race and incident AF. A total of 8,119 African American women from the WHI randomized clinical trials and OS were genotyped on the Affymetrix Human SNP Array 6.0. Genome-wide ancestry and previously reported single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with AF in European cohorts were tested for association with AF using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Self-reported African American race was associated with lower rates of AF (hazard ratio 0.43, 95% CI 0.32-0.60) in the OS, independent of demographic and clinical risk factors. In the genotyped cohort, there were 558 women with AF. By contrast, genome-wide European ancestry was not associated with AF. None of the single nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with AF in European populations, including rs2200733, were associated with AF in the WHI African American cohort. African American race is significantly and inversely correlated with AF in postmenopausal women. The etiology of this association remains unclear and may be related to unidentified environmental differences. Larger studies are necessary to identify genetic determinants of AF in African Americans.

Atrial fibrillation in patients with acute coronary syndromes

We have read with great enthusiasm the recently published article entitled “Incidence, treatment, and outcomes of atrial fibrillation complicating non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes” by Lopes and coworkers [1]. In that very well-designed and presented study, Lopes and coworkers tried to explain the incidence and timing of post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) atrial fibrillation (AF) related and not related to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); described the use of antithrombotic therapy; and evaluated the association of AF with mortality. They concluded that AF was associated with a nearly 5-fold greater risk of death at 30 days, and both AF overall and post-CABG AFwere associated with amore than 2-fold greater 1year mortality rate. Their study highlights an unexplored area of antithrombotic therapy at hospital discharge in these high-risk patients. Atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice, is expected to affect millions of people worldwide [2]. AF is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality, making identification of modifiable risk factors a priority [3]. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has recently been recognized to be a powerful predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. CKD was also strongly associated with new-onset AF [4]. For this reason, kidney function is important to predict mortality and morbidity in patients with AF. Serum creatinine level is the most common test for renal failure. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) provides more sensitive information about renal function than the serum creatinine level. The GFR can be measured by the formula of modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) and Cockcroft–Gault (CG) equation. However, MDRD formula may measure higher GFR in younger age groups in comparison with the Cockcroft–Gault equation, but it can measure lower GFR in older individuals compared to the Cockcroft–Gault equation [5]. Proteinuria was also apparently linked to the persistent form of AF [6]. Also in this case, if the authors had mentioned the proteinuria and the method of GFR measurements of the patients, the results of this study could contribute to the literature. On theotherhand, elevated transaminase concentrationsare related to increased risk of AF [7]. Also, hyperthyroidism is a relatively uncommon but important cause of atrial fibrillation [8]. Furthermore, in the previous large population-based study, greater levels of serumphosphorus and the related calcium–phosphorus product were also associated with a greater incidenceof systemic embolism inpatientswithAF [9]. Besides it has been proved that the people with a clinically recognized myocardial infarction (MI) are at increased risk for AF. Unfortunately a large proportion of all MI remains to be clinically unrecognized. Whether or not the subjects with electrocardiographic signs of an unrecognized MI were also at an increased risk of developing AF was not clearly elucidated. The presence of anunrecognizedMIwas associatedwithadouble increased risk of atrial fibrillation inmen, independent of known cardiovascular risk factors [10]. Another interesting study tried to examine whether or not exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was a risk factor for AF. They found that recent NSAID use may predispose patients to AF [11]. Bisphosphonate use was also associated with a significant increase in the risk of serious AF in postmenopausal women [12]. In conclusion, AF was associated with a nearly 5-fold greater risk of death at 30 days, and both AF overall and post-CABG AF were associated with a more than 2-fold greater 1-year mortality rate as presented in the current study. However, AF may be affected by many conditions and the pivotal roles of those risk factors deserve further large-scale prospective randomized clinical trials.

Zoledronic acid and atrial fibrillation in cancer patients

Treatment with a bisphosphonate was found to be associated with a significantly increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) in a few studies. A recent study showed that once-yearly infusions of intravenous zoledronic acid (ZA) significantly increased the risk of serious AF in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of atrial fibrillation among cancer patients receiving the standard treatment of ZA. Patients with bone metastases who presented to our outpatient clinic for any reason (routine control, chemotherapy, or ZA administration) were included in the study. All patients had been receiving 4 mg ZA at 4-week intervals, with each dose administered over 15 min. A short survey was completed and standard 12-lead ECG recordings were obtained. One hundred and twenty-four cancer patients with documented bone metastases were evaluated. Mean age of the patients was 55 ± 13.0 years, 60% of the patients were female. Forty-one percent of the patients had breast cancer, 18% had non-small cell lung cancer, and the remainder had other solid tumors. Mean duration of ZA administration was 13.4 ± 15.0 months. Mean total cumulative dose was 54 ± 15.0 mg per patient. Sixty patients (48%) had previously been treated with anthracycline-containing regimens, and 37 (30%) had received chest radiotherapy that might affect the heart. Twenty-three percent of the patients had hypertension, 10% had diabetes mellitus, 3.7% had myocardial infarction history, 1.9% had congestive heart failure, and 1% had valvular disease; 10.5% were current smokers and 32% ex-smokers. On ECG evaluation, we observed normal sinus rhythm in 58%, sinus tachycardia in 15%, sinus bradicardia in 3.2%, and ventricular extrasystole in 5.7% of the patients. There was no AF in any of the cases. There was no increase in the risk of AF frequency in cancer patients who were treated with intravenous ZA, although most of the patients had additional risk factors including previous treatment with cardiotoxic agents or with chest radiotherapy. We believe that the risk of AF is negligible in this patient population and does not affect treatment decisions.

Zoledronic acid and atrial fibrillation in cancer patients with bone metastases

e20591 Background: Treatment with a bisphosphonate was linked with a significantly increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) in a few studies. Once-yearly infusions of intravenous zoledronic acid (ZA) was also significantly increased serious AF in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of atrial fibrillation among cancer patients receiving the standard treatment of ZA. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four cancer patients who had bone metastasis receiving ZA were included in this study. All patients have been receiving 4 mg ZA at 4-week intervals; with each dose administered over 15 minutes. Patients who presented outpatient clinic for any reason (routine control, chemotherapy, ZA administration) a short survey completed and standard 12-lead ECG recordings were obtained. Results: One hundred and twenty-four cancer patients with documented bone metastases were evaluated. Mean age of the patients was 55 ± 13.0 years, 60% of the patients were female. Forty-one percent of the patients had breast cancer and 17% non-small cell lung cancer and the remainder had other solid tumors. Mean duration of ZA administration was 13.4 ± 15.0 months/patients. Mean total cumulative dose was 54 ± 15.0 mg per patients. 60 (48%) of the patients were treated with antracycline including regimens, and 37 (30%) were treated with mediastinal radiotherapy that might effect the heart. Twenty-three percent of the patients had hypertension, 10% diabetes mellitus, 7% currently smoker and 32% exsmoker, 3.7% myocardial infarction history, 1.9% congestive heart failure, and 1% valvular disease. On ECG evaluation; we observed sinus rhythm in 58%, sinus tachycardia in 15%, sinus bradicardia in 3.2%, ventricular exracystole in 5.7% of the patients. There were no AF. Conclusions: Although most of the patients were also having potentially cardiotoxic treatment, there was no increase in AF frequency in cancer patients who were treated with intravenous ZA. We believe that the risk of AF is small and may increase with age and comorbidity. No significant financial relationships to disclose.