Association between inflammatory diseases and connective tissue disorders with atrial fibrillation/flutter.

BACKGROUND

The role of inflammatory disease in the occurrence of atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) is not well studied.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to evaluate any association between inflammatory and autoimmune disorders with the occurrences of AF/AFL using a large database.

METHODS

Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database and ICD-10 codes for AF/AFL and several inflammatory diseases for the years 2016-2020, we evaluated the above association.

RESULTS

A total of 23,037,013 patients were identified with a diagnosis of AF/AFL. The following diseases were independently associated with the presence of AF/AFL despite adjustment for age, demographics, and traditional risk factors: rheumatoid arthritis: OR: 1.05, CI 1.04-1.06, P<0.001, systemic sclerosis OR: 1.31, CI 1.26-1.36, P<0.001, systemic connective tissue disorders: OR: 1.07, CI 1.05-1.08, P<0.001, antiphospholipid syndrome: OR: 1.36, CI: 1.31-1.42, P<001, systemic lupus erythematosus: OR: 1.15, CI: 1.13-1.17, P<0.001 and Raynaud's syndrome: OR: 1.1, CI: 1.07-1.13, P<0.001. Ankylosing spondylitis was not found to be associated with AF/AFL.

CONCLUSION

Using a large inpatient database, we found that some common inflammatory diseases and connective tissue disorders are independently associated with the presence of AF/AFL. Our findings are hypothesis-generating, requiring confirmation in prospective controlled trials.