Cause of death in AF – Cardiology MCQ – Answer

Cause of death in AF – Cardiology MCQ – Answer

Commonest cause of death in those with atrial fibrillation – Correct answer:  a) Heart failure

In a registry involving 15 400 patients from 47 countries presenting with atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure was the most common cause of death, accounting for 30% of deaths by one year [1]. Stroke was next, accounting for 8% of the deaths.

Death rate was higher in whom AF was the secondary diagnosis rather than the primary diagnosis at presentation (16% of total cohort vs 6%, p<0·0001).

One year occurrence of stroke was 4% in the total cohort. Occurence of stroke was also higher in those with AF as secondary diagnosis (8%) compared to those with AF as a primary diagnosis (3%) with a p<0·0001.

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Reference

1. Healey JS, Oldgren J, Ezekowitz M, Zhu J, Pais P, Wang J, Commerford P, Jansky P, Avezum A, Sigamani A, Damasceno A, Reilly P, Grinvalds A, Nakamya J, Aje A, Almahmeed W, Moriarty A, Wallentin L, Yusuf S, Connolly SJ; RE-LY Atrial Fibrillation Registry and Cohort Study Investigators. Occurrence of death and stroke in patients in 47 countries 1 year after presenting with atrial fibrillation: a cohort study. Lancet. 2016 Sep 17;388(10050):1161-9.