title: Clinical characteristics and cardiovascular outcomes of hemodialysis patients with atrial fibrillation: a prospective follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Among the cardiovascular complications in dialysis patients, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia. The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics and mortality of hemodialysis patients with AF, which are not completely elucidated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of AF in patients undergoing hemodialysis in our institutions was assessed. Patients with AF (AF group) and without AF (control group) were included in this study. Patients in the control group were matched for several important clinical risk factors. For further analysis, AF patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the type of AF (chronic AF (CAF) and paroxysmal AF (PAF) groups). These patients were evaluated for their clinical characteristics, laboratory data and echocardiographic parameters and prospectively followed up for 48 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 328 study patients, 30 had AF (9.1%). Left atrial diameter (LAD) and the left ventricular mass index were significantly greater in the AF group than in the control group. Furthermore, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and cumulative incidence of cardiovascular events were significantly higher in the AF group than in the control group, and tended to be higher in the CAF group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrated that the prevalence of AF as 9.1% in hemodialysis patients, and that AF, especially CAF, were associated with high mortality.
authors: Division of Nephrology and Kidney Center, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. fhideki @ med.kobe-u.ac.jp
authors: Hideki
authors: H
authors: Fujii
authors: Jong-Il
authors: JI
authors: Kim
authors: Kunihiko
authors: K
authors: Yoshiya
authors: Shinichi
authors: S
authors: Nishi
authors: Masafumi
authors: M
authors: Fukagawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents