title: Patient preferences at ten years following initial diagnosis of atrial fibrillation: the Belgrade Atrial Fibrillation Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many atrial fibrillation (AF) patients have a poor understanding of the management of this condition. We investigated patient attitudes towards AF and a potential invasive treatment following an average 10-year period of prospective rhythm control in a cohort of newly diagnosed AF patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective registry-based study. At the regular annual visit in 2007, patients were asked at random to answer several AF-related questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 390 patients, 277 (71.0%) reported symptom reduction over time, but only 45 (11.5%) reported that they had "got used" to AF; 201 patients (51.5%) stated they would always prefer sinus rhythm, and 280 (71.2%) would accept an invasive AF treatment. Independent predictors for choosing an invasive procedure were younger age, impaired career/working capacity, and male gender (all P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that most AF patients prefer sinus rhythm and would readily accept an invasive procedure if it offered the possibility of a cure for their AF.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia ; Cardiology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Tatjana S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Potpara
authors.forename: Marija M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Polovina
authors.forename: Nebojsa M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Mujovic
authors.forename: Aleksandar M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kocijancic
authors.forename: Gregory Yh
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Lip
keywords: atrial fibrillation; catheter ablation; patient preferences; symptoms; treatment