Impact of thyroid disease in patients with atrial fibrillation: Analysis from the JoFib registry

BACKGROUND: Thyroid disease is a well-established risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, only a handful of studies examined its impact on treatment. This study aims to report the prevalence rate of thyroid disease in patients with AF and to demonstrate the effect of thyroid disease on AF treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the Jordanian Atrial Fibrillation Study (JoFib). Among Jordan and Palestine, patients with AF were evaluated for their sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacological characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 2000 patients with AF (53.3% males, mean age 67.6 ± 13.1 years) were enrolled in the JoFib registry from May 2019 to November 2020. Thyroid disease was present in 210 (10.5%) patients. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia were the most common comorbidities among patients with thyroid history (75.2%, 51.0%, and 45.7%, respectively). Diabetes mellitus (p = .04), pulmonary hypertension (p = .01), and chronic kidney disease (p = .01) were significantly higher in this particular subgroup. Patients with thyroid disease demonstrated significantly higher usage of anticoagulants (p = .02). CONCLUSION: Despite having similar stroke and bleeding risks, patients with thyroid disease demonstrated meaningful differences in their baseline characteristics. Prospective studies are required to assess the influence of thyroid hormone fluctuations on the progression of AF.