title: Symptoms of atrial fibrillation in patients with and without subsequent permanent atrial fibrillation based on a retrospective questionnaire survey.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine whether symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AF) differ between patients with and without subsequent permanent AF. Sixty-four patients (68 +/- 10 years old, 45 males) were recruited. AF follow-up was started at the age of 61 +/- 10 years and accomplished in a median period of 4.9 years (396 person-years). Permanent AF, defined as lasting > 180 days, developed in 17 patients (14 males) (43 per 1000 person-years). The AF follow-up period was longer in the permanent AF group than in the non-permanent AF group (median, 9.8 versus 4.2 years, P < 0.001). For baseline characteristics, hypertension was less frequent in the permanent AF group than in the nonpermanent AF group (18% versus 45%, P < 0.05). A retrospective questionnaire survey regarding initial AF symptoms was conducted. The severity of AF symptoms by a 4-grade scale was significantly milder in the permanent AF group than in the nonpermanent AF group (P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards model analysis revealed that the severity of initial AF symptoms was related to the subsequent development of permanent AF (hazard ratio 0.46 per grade, 95% confidence interval 0.23 - 0.93, P < 0.05), but age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, organic heart disease, and left atrial dimension were not. The permanent AF-free rate was significantly lower in 33 patients with mild symptoms than in 31 patients with severe symptoms (log-rank test, P < 0.05). These results point to an inconspicuous feature in the development of permanent AF.
authors: Department of Biofunctional Informatics, Graduate School of Health Care Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Tokuhiro
authors: T
authors: Kawara
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Narumi
authors: Kenzo
authors: K
authors: Hirao
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Kasuya
authors: Mihoko
authors: M
authors: Kawabata
authors: Naoko
authors: N
authors: Tojo
authors: Mitsuaki
authors: M
authors: Isobe
authors: Masato
authors: M
authors: Matsuura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires