Low Body Weight Is Associated With the Incidence of Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation Patients - Insight From the Fushimi AF Registry.
BACKGROUND
Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are generally small and lean, but knowledge of the clinical characteristics of those with low body weight (LBW: ≤50 kg) is limited.


RESULTS
The Fushimi AF Registry is a community-based prospective survey of AF patients who visited the participating medical institutions in Fushmi-ku, Japan. The BW and follow-up data were available for 2,945 patients. We compared the background and the incidence of clinical events during a median follow-up of 746 days between a LBW and non-LBW group. Patients in the LBW group accounted for 26.8% (788 patients) of the total. The LBW group was more often female, older, and had higher CHADS2score. The incidence of stroke/systemic embolism (SE) during follow-up was higher in the LBW group (hazard ratio (HR): 2.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57-3.04; P<0.01), whereas that of major bleeding was comparable (HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.64-1.68; P=0.84). This trend was consistently observed in the subgroups stratified by age, sex, and oral anticoagulant prescription at baseline. Multivariate analysis as well as propensity-score matching analysis further supported the significance of LBW as a risk of stroke/SE.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients in the LBW group had high risk profiles and showed a higher incidence of stroke/SE, but the incidence of major bleeding was not particularly high.
Department of Cardiology, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center.
Yasuhiro
Y
Hamatani
Hisashi
H
Ogawa
Ryuji
R
Uozumi
Moritake
M
Iguchi
Yugo
Y
Yamashita
Masahiro
M
Esato
Yeong-Hwa
YH
Chun
Hikari
H
Tsuji
Hiromichi
H
Wada
Koji
K
Hasegawa
Mitsuru
M
Abe
Satoshi
S
Morita
Masaharu
M
Akao
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
D000925:Anticoagulants