Riitta L Antikainen1,2,3, Ruth Peters4,5,6, Nigel S Beckett7, Chakravarthi Rajkumar8, Christopher J Bulpitt6. 1. Center for Life Course Health Research/Geriatrics, University of Oulu. 2. Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital. 3. Oulu City Hospital, Oulu, Finland. 4. Neuroscience Research Australia. 5. University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 6. Imperial College London. 7. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London. 8. Department of Medicine, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognostic value of electrocardiographic atrial fibrillation in older hypertensive people in the randomized, placebo-controlled Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial. METHODS:Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial randomized 3845 hypertensive people aged 80 years and over, 3273 with electrographic data on the presence or absence of atrial fibrillation at baseline and without established cardiovascular disease. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality, incident fatal and nonfatal major cardiovascular events, all-stroke and all-heart failure. The mean follow-up time was 2.1 years. RESULTS:Baseline prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 5.8%. Compared with people without atrial fibrillation at baseline, after adjustments the presence of atrial fibrillation was associated with increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.80-3.44, P < 0.001), of nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events (hazard ratio = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.71-3.55, P < 0.001), all-stroke (hazard ratio = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.34-4.56, P = 0.004) and all-heart failure (hazard ratio 2.33, 95% CI = 1.10-4.93, P = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor to consider when assessing older hypertensive adults as it is associated with increased risk of mortality, nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events, stroke and heart failure.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognostic value of electrocardiographic atrial fibrillation in older hypertensivepeople in the randomized, placebo-controlled Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial. METHODS:Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial randomized 3845 hypertensivepeople aged 80 years and over, 3273 with electrographic data on the presence or absence of atrial fibrillation at baseline and without established cardiovascular disease. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality, incident fatal and nonfatal major cardiovascular events, all-stroke and all-heart failure. The mean follow-up time was 2.1 years. RESULTS: Baseline prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 5.8%. Compared with people without atrial fibrillation at baseline, after adjustments the presence of atrial fibrillation was associated with increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.80-3.44, P < 0.001), of nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events (hazard ratio = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.71-3.55, P < 0.001), all-stroke (hazard ratio = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.34-4.56, P = 0.004) and all-heart failure (hazard ratio 2.33, 95% CI = 1.10-4.93, P = 0.027). CONCLUSION:Atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor to consider when assessing older hypertensive adults as it is associated with increased risk of mortality, nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events, stroke and heart failure.