David Conen1, Nicolas Rodondi2, Andreas Mueller3, Juerg Beer4, Angelo Auricchio5, Peter Ammann6, Daniel Hayoz7, Richard Kobza8, Giorgio Moschovitis9, Dipen Shah10, Juerg Schlaepfer11, Jan Novak12, Marcello di Valentino13, Paul Erne14, Christian Sticherling15, Leo Bonati16, Georg Ehret10, Laurent Roten17, Urs Fischer18, Andreas Monsch19, Christoph Stippich20, Jens Wuerfel21, Matthias Schwenkglenks22, Michael Kuehne23, Stefan Osswald23. 1. Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, Switzerland; Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. 2. Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Switzerland; Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland. 3. Department of Cardiology, Triemli Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. 4. Department of Medicine, Cantonal Hospital of Baden and Molecular Cardiology, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland. 5. Department of Cardiology, Cardiocentro Ticino Lugano, Switzerland. 6. Department of Cardiology, Kantonsspital St Gallen, Switzerland. 7. Department of Internal Medicine, HFR-Hôpital Cantonal Fribourg, Switzerland. 8. Department of Cardiology, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Switzerland. 9. Department of Cardiology, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Switzerland. 10. Cardiology Service, Department of Medicine Specialities, University Hospital Geneva, Switzerland. 11. Department of Cardiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland. 12. Department of Cardiology, Bürgerspital Solothurn, Switzerland. 13. Department of Cardiology, Ospedale San Giovanni, Bellinzona, Switzerland. 14. Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. 15. Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, Switzerland. 16. Neurology Division and Stroke Centre, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. 17. Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, Switzerland. 18. Department of Radiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, Switzerland. 19. Memory Clinic, Universitäre Altersmedizin, Felix Platter Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Switzerland. 20. Division of diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. 21. Medical Image Analysis Centre (MIAC AG) Basel, Switzerland. 22. Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich, Switzerland. 23. a Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Several studies found that patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia over time. However, the magnitude of the problem, associated risk factors and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS: This article describes the design and methodology of the Swiss Atrial Fibrillation (Swiss-AF) Cohort Study, a prospective multicentre national cohort study of 2400 patients across 13 sites in Switzerland. Eligible patients must have documented AF. Main exclusion criteria are the inability to provide informed consent and the presence of exclusively short episodes of reversible forms of AF. All patients undergo extensive phenotyping and genotyping, including repeated assessment of cognitive functions, quality of life, disability, electrocardiography and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. We also collect information on health related costs, and we assemble a large biobank. Key clinical outcomes in Swiss-AF are death, stroke, systemic embolism, bleeding, hospitalisation for heart failure and myocardial infarction. Information on outcomes and updates on other characteristics are being collected during yearly follow-up visits. RESULTS: Up to 7 April 2017, we have enrolled 2133 patients into Swiss-AF. With the current recruitment rate of 15 to 20 patients per week, we expect that the target sample size of 2400 patients will be reached by summer 2017. CONCLUSION: Swiss-AF is a large national prospective cohort of patients with AF in Switzerland. This study will provide important new information on structural and functional brain damage in patients with AF and on other AF related complications, using a large variety of genetic, phenotypic and health economic parameters.
BACKGROUND: Several studies found that patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia over time. However, the magnitude of the problem, associated risk factors and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS: This article describes the design and methodology of the Swiss Atrial Fibrillation (Swiss-AF) Cohort Study, a prospective multicentre national cohort study of 2400 patients across 13 sites in Switzerland. Eligible patients must have documented AF. Main exclusion criteria are the inability to provide informed consent and the presence of exclusively short episodes of reversible forms of AF. All patients undergo extensive phenotyping and genotyping, including repeated assessment of cognitive functions, quality of life, disability, electrocardiography and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. We also collect information on health related costs, and we assemble a large biobank. Key clinical outcomes in Swiss-AF are death, stroke, systemic embolism, bleeding, hospitalisation for heart failure and myocardial infarction. Information on outcomes and updates on other characteristics are being collected during yearly follow-up visits. RESULTS: Up to 7 April 2017, we have enrolled 2133 patients into Swiss-AF. With the current recruitment rate of 15 to 20 patients per week, we expect that the target sample size of 2400 patients will be reached by summer 2017. CONCLUSION: Swiss-AF is a large national prospective cohort of patients with AF in Switzerland. This study will provide important new information on structural and functional brain damage in patients with AF and on other AF related complications, using a large variety of genetic, phenotypic and health economic parameters.
Authors: Michael Kühne; Philipp Krisai; Michael Coslovsky; Nicolas Rodondi; Andreas Müller; Jürg H Beer; Peter Ammann; Angelo Auricchio; Giorgio Moschovitis; Daniel Hayoz; Richard Kobza; Dipen Shah; Frank Peter Stephan; Jürg Schläpfer; Marcello Di Valentino; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Georg Ehret; Ceylan Eken; Andreas Monsch; Laurent Roten; Matthias Schwenkglenks; Anne Springer; Christian Sticherling; Tobias Reichlin; Christine S Zuern; Pascal B Meyre; Steffen Blum; Tim Sinnecker; Jens Würfel; Leo H Bonati; David Conen; Stefan Osswald Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2022-06-06 Impact factor: 35.855
Authors: Samuel Stempfel; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Steffen Blum; Pascal Meyre; Rebecca Gugganig; Jürg H Beer; Richard Kobza; Michael Kühne; Giorgio Moschovitis; Gianluca Menghini; Jan Novak; Stefan Osswald; Nicolas Rodondi; Elisavet Moutzouri; Matthias Schwenkglenks; Fabienne Witassek; David Conen; Christian Sticherling Journal: Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc Date: 2020-06-16
Authors: Steffen Blum; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Pascal Meyre; Leon Zwimpfer; Tobias Reichlin; Jürg H Beer; Peter Ammann; Angelo Auricchio; Richard Kobza; Paul Erne; Giorgio Moschovitis; Marcello Di Valentino; Dipen Shah; Jürg Schläpfer; Selina Henz; Christine Meyer-Zürn; Laurent Roten; Matthias Schwenkglenks; Christian Sticherling; Michael Kühne; Stefan Osswald; David Conen Journal: J Am Heart Assoc Date: 2019-10-08 Impact factor: 5.501
Authors: Anne Springer; Andreas U Monsch; Gilles Dutilh; Michael Coslovsky; Rogier A Kievit; Leo H Bonati; David Conen; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Juerg H Beer; Matthias Schwenkglenks; Urs Fischer; Christine S Meyer-Zuern; Giulio Conte; Elisavet Moutzouri; Giorgio Moschovitis; Michael Kühne; Stefan Osswald Journal: PLoS One Date: 2020-10-09 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Fabienne Steiner; Pascal B Meyre; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Michael Coslovsky; Tim Sinnecker; Manuel R Blum; Nicolas Rodondi; Carlo W Cereda; Marcello di Valentino; Florence Wenger; Andrea Cussigh; Philipp Krisai; Laurent Roten; Tobias Reichlin; David Conen; Stefan Osswald; Leo H Bonati; Michael Kühne Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2021-01-12 Impact factor: 4.003
Authors: Stefanie Aeschbacher; Steffen Blum; Pascal B Meyre; Michael Coslovsky; Annina S Vischer; Tim Sinnecker; Nicolas Rodondi; Jürg H Beer; Giorgio Moschovitis; Elisavet Moutzouri; Christof Hunkeler; Thilo Burkard; Ceylan Eken; Laurent Roten; Christine S Zuern; Christian Sticherling; Jens Wuerfel; Leo H Bonati; David Conen; Stefan Osswald; Michael Kühne Journal: Hypertension Date: 2020-12-28 Impact factor: 10.190
Authors: Fabienne Witassek; Anne Springer; Luise Adam; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Jürg H Beer; Steffen Blum; Leo H Bonati; David Conen; Richard Kobza; Michael Kühne; Giorgio Moschovitis; Stefan Osswald; Nicolas Rodondi; Christian Sticherling; Thomas Szucs; Matthias Schwenkglenks Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-12-23 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Pascal B Meyre; Anne Springer; Stefanie Aeschbacher; Steffen Blum; Nicolas Rodondi; Juerg H Beer; Marcello Di Valentino; Peter Ammann; Manuel Blum; Rebecca Mathys; Christine Meyer-Zürn; Leo H Bonati; Christian Sticherling; Matthias Schwenkglenks; Michael Kühne; David Conen; Stefan Osswald Journal: Clin Cardiol Date: 2020-11-10 Impact factor: 3.287