Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac rhythm disorder, affecting an estimated 43 million people globally.1 In the last 20 years, the incidence of AF increased by 33% and it is expected to increase by threefold in the next three decades.1 Long-term AF management, including outpatient visits, hospitalisations and disabilities from stroke and heart failure (HF), adds substantial burden on healthcare resources and costs, accounting for 2.6% of the total annual healthcare expenditure of European countries.2 As a result, AF has emerged as a major public health concern and a potential future epidemic.1
The increasing temporal trend in AF diagnoses has been attributed to older populations, more survivors of cardiovascular diseases and a higher prevalence of AF risk factors; however, these determinants are interconnected. Age plays a key role in the aetiology of most diseases, including AF and the traditional risk factors of hypertension, diabetes, HF and coronary artery disease.3 Although temporal trends provide valuable insight regarding the evolution in the incidence of diseases over time, the underlying cause for the trend is unknown.4 A key limitation is that time trends in epidemiological data are strongly related to age and decoupling the effect of age with other time trends may be overlooked.4
Vinter and colleagues investigated the interaction between age, period and cohort effects to determine the impact of birth year on the diagnosis of AF.5 Danish National Registries (1980–2018) were used to evaluate trends in the age-stratified 10-year cumulative incidence of AF among persons ≥45 years (n=4 783 940).5 Included patients were stratified in 5-year intervals …
- The Renal Warrior Project. Join Now
- Source: http://heart.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/110/10/685?rss=1