Mortality risk and temporal patterns of atrial fibrillation in the nationwide registry

AIMS: Persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) often occurs in the presence of multiple comorbidities and is linked to adverse outcomes. It is unclear whether the sustained pattern of AF itself is prognostic or if it is confounded by underlying comorbidities. Here, we tested the association between the temporal patterns of AF and the risks of ischemic stroke and all‐cause mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective multicenter cohort, 3046 non‐valvular AF patients were consecutively enrolled and followed for adverse outcomes of all‐cause mortality and ischemic stroke. The risks of both outcomes were adjusted for underlying comorbidities, and compared between the patterns of AF. At baseline, the patients were classified as paroxysmal (N = 963, 31.6%), persistent (N = 604, 19.8%), and permanent AF (N = 1479, 45.6%) according to the standard definition. Anticoagulants were administered in 75% of all patients and 83% of those with CHA(2)DS(2)‐VAS(c) score ≥2 in males or ≥3 in females. During a mean follow up of 26 (SD 10.5) months, all‐cause mortality occurred less in paroxysmal AF (2.5 per 100 patient‐years) than in persistent AF (4.4 per 100 patient‐years; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.66, 95% CI, 0.46‐0.96; P = .029) and permanent AF (4.1 per 100 patient‐years; adjusted HR 0.71, 95% CI, 0.52‐0.98; P = .036). The risk of ischemic stroke was similar across all patterns of AF. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter cohort of AF patients, persistent and permanent AF was associated with higher all‐cause mortality than paroxysmal AF, independent of baseline comorbidities. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Thai Clinical Trial Registration; Study ID: TCTR20160113002 (http://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20160113002).