Auricular fibrilation related with risk of dementia

In a recent prospective cohort study published in Jama Network Open, researchers examine whether younger age at atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnosis is associated with a higher risk of incident dementia.

AF, a kind of cardiac arrhythmia, is quite common worldwide and shares various similarities with dementia. For instance, AF causes stroke, which is a proven risk factor for dementia.

Advanced age and metabolic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, are some of the other shared risk factors for AF and dementia.

In this study, researchers pursued evidence of the plausible association between new-onset AF and incident dementia using data from the United Kingdom Biobank (UKB).

The final analytical sample comprised 433,746 participants, of which 54.5% were female and 94.5% were White.

Dementia occurred in 1.36% (5,898 participants) of the study population over an average follow-up of 12.6 years.

The incidence rate of dementia was higher among participants with AF; accordingly, there were 1,031 dementia cases, including 320 (vascular dementia) VD and 350 AD (Alzheimer's dementia), among 30,601 AF patients.

So, while AF participants were at an elevated risk of developing all-cause dementia and VD than those without AF [adjusted HRs (aHRs), 1.42 and 2.06; 95% CI], the risk of developing AD was not as higher (aHR, 1.08; 95% CI).

Moreover, participants with younger age at AF diagnosis had a higher risk of developing all-cause dementia, AD, as well as VD (aHRs for every 10-year decline, 1.23, 1.27, 1.35; 95% CI).

Overall, the study results showing quantitative manifestation of the association between AF onset age and incident dementia highlights the need to prioritize monitoring of cognitive function among AF patients, especially those under 65 years at diagnosis.

Source: News Medical Lifescience