title: Gender differences in the management and outcome of atrial fibrillation complicating acute heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about sex differences in the prevalence, treatment, and outcome of atrial fibrillation complicating acute heart failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 957 patients (429 women, 528 men), included in the BIO-HF registry, 45.2% (n = 194) of the women and 45.1% (n = 238) of the men were admitted with atrial fibrillation. The primary end point was a composite of 1-year all-cause mortality and hospitalization for heart failure. Adjusted 1-year mortality and hospitalization rates were similar between sexes (women 38.5%, men 36.0%; OR for female gender: 1.1, 95% CI 0.65-1.86; P = .71. A significant interaction between female sex and age (P = .002) was observed; with worse prognosis for women <75 years (OR 7.17, 95% CI 1.79-28.66; P = .005) compared with men <75 years. No sex differences in in-hospital treatment, restoration of sinus rhythm (16.5% in women vs 14.2% in men; P = .58), or in-hospital mortality (5.7% in women vs 6.7% in men; P = .69) were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure, no sex differences in the prevalence and management of atrial fibrillation were observed. In-hospital mortality and the composite of 1-year mortality and rehospitalization were not different between sexes, but a significant sex-age interaction was observed, with worse outcome in women <75 years versus men <75 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: sofie.gevaert@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Sofie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Gevaert
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Bacquer
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, AZ Maria-Middelares Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, AZ Maria-Middelares Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vande Kerckhove
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weytjens
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Camp
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, AZ Maria-Middelares Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Internal Medicine Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Sutter
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Acute heart failure; atrial fibrillation; gender