BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. It is important to detect AF at an early stage and to search for new pathophysiological pathways to intervene. We hypothesized that microalbuminuria and C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of generalized vascular damage and inflammation, respectively, are associated with AF. METHODS: Standard 12-lead electrocardiograms were recorded in 7546 subjects (mean age 49+/-13 years, 51% male). AF was defined according to Minnesota codes. The urinary albumin excretion rate was measured as the mean of two 24-h urine collections and microalbuminuria was defined as an albumin excretion rate between 30 and 300 mg per 24 h. High-sensitive CRP was dichotomized (low: three lowest quartiles, CRP<2.87 mg/l vs. high: highest quartile, CRP>2.87 mg/l). Data are expressed as odds ratios (95% confidence intervals). RESULTS: AF was present in 75 (1.0%) subjects. In multivariate analysis, an age >60 years, the presence of ischemic heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, elevated CRP level (1.79 [1.07-2.97], p=0.03) and microalbuminuria (1.93 [1.10-3.37], p=0.02) were significantly associated with AF. Surprisingly, the combination of elevated CRP and the presence of microalbuminuria showed an even higher association with AF after adjusting for all cardiovascular risk factors (3.80 [1.89-7.63], p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An elevated CRP level and microalbuminuria are associated with AF. Moreover, the combination of both indicates a fourfold higher association with the presence of AF in a population at large.
BACKGROUND:Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. It is important to detect AF at an early stage and to search for new pathophysiological pathways to intervene. We hypothesized that microalbuminuria and C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of generalized vascular damage and inflammation, respectively, are associated with AF. METHODS: Standard 12-lead electrocardiograms were recorded in 7546 subjects (mean age 49+/-13 years, 51% male). AF was defined according to Minnesota codes. The urinary albumin excretion rate was measured as the mean of two 24-h urine collections and microalbuminuria was defined as an albumin excretion rate between 30 and 300 mg per 24 h. High-sensitive CRP was dichotomized (low: three lowest quartiles, CRP<2.87 mg/l vs. high: highest quartile, CRP>2.87 mg/l). Data are expressed as odds ratios (95% confidence intervals). RESULTS:AF was present in 75 (1.0%) subjects. In multivariate analysis, an age >60 years, the presence of ischemic heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, elevated CRP level (1.79 [1.07-2.97], p=0.03) and microalbuminuria (1.93 [1.10-3.37], p=0.02) were significantly associated with AF. Surprisingly, the combination of elevated CRP and the presence of microalbuminuria showed an even higher association with AF after adjusting for all cardiovascular risk factors (3.80 [1.89-7.63], p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An elevated CRP level and microalbuminuria are associated with AF. Moreover, the combination of both indicates a fourfold higher association with the presence of AF in a population at large.
Authors: Usman Baber; Virginia J Howard; Jonathan L Halperin; Elsayed Z Soliman; Xiao Zhang; William McClellan; David G Warnock; Paul Muntner Journal: Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol Date: 2010-11-13
Authors: Paulus Kirchhof; Gregory Y H Lip; Isabelle C Van Gelder; Jeroen Bax; Elaine Hylek; Stefan Kaab; Ulrich Schotten; Karl Wegscheider; Giuseppe Boriani; Axel Brandes; Michael Ezekowitz; Hans Diener; Laurent Haegeli; Hein Heidbuchel; Deirdre Lane; Luis Mont; Stephan Willems; Paul Dorian; Maria Aunes-Jansson; Carina Blomstrom-Lundqvist; Maria Borentain; Stefanie Breitenstein; Martina Brueckmann; Nilo Cater; Andreas Clemens; Dobromir Dobrev; Sergio Dubner; Nils G Edvardsson; Leif Friberg; Andreas Goette; Michele Gulizia; Robert Hatala; Jenny Horwood; Lukas Szumowski; Lukas Kappenberger; Josef Kautzner; Angelika Leute; Trudie Lobban; Ralf Meyer; Jay Millerhagen; John Morgan; Felix Muenzel; Michael Nabauer; Christoph Baertels; Michael Oeff; Dieter Paar; Juergen Polifka; Ursula Ravens; Ludger Rosin; W Stegink; Gerhard Steinbeck; Panos Vardas; Alphons Vincent; Maureen Walter; Günter Breithardt; A John Camm Journal: Europace Date: 2011-07-26 Impact factor: 5.214
Authors: F W Asselbergs; M P van den Berg; S J Bakker; J E Signorovitch; H L Hillege; W H van Gilst; D J van Veldhuisen Journal: Neth Heart J Date: 2008 Impact factor: 2.380
Authors: Moritz F Sinner; Katherine A Stepas; Carlee B Moser; Bouwe P Krijthe; Thor Aspelund; Nona Sotoodehnia; João D Fontes; A Cecile J W Janssens; Richard A Kronmal; Jared W Magnani; Jacqueline C Witteman; Alanna M Chamberlain; Steven A Lubitz; Renate B Schnabel; Ramachandran S Vasan; Thomas J Wang; Sunil K Agarwal; David D McManus; Oscar H Franco; Xiaoyan Yin; Martin G Larson; Gregory L Burke; Lenore J Launer; Albert Hofman; Daniel Levy; John S Gottdiener; Stefan Kääb; David Couper; Tamara B Harris; Brad C Astor; Christie M Ballantyne; Ron C Hoogeveen; Andrew E Arai; Elsayed Z Soliman; Patrick T Ellinor; Bruno H C Stricker; Vilmundur Gudnason; Susan R Heckbert; Michael J Pencina; Emelia J Benjamin; Alvaro Alonso Journal: Europace Date: 2014-07-18 Impact factor: 5.214