title: Interatrial block and atrial arrhythmias in centenarians: Prevalence, associations, and clinical implications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data are lacking on the characteristics of atrial activity in centenarians, including interatrial block (IAB).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of IAB and auricular arrhythmias in subjects older than 100 years and to elucidate their clinical implications.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 80 centenarians (mean age 101.4 ± 1.5 years; 21 men) with follow-ups of 6-34 months. Of these 80 centenarians, 71 subjects (88.8%) underwent echocardiography. The control group comprised 269 septuagenarians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 23 subjects (28.8%) had normal P wave, 16 (20%) had partial IAB, 21 (26%) had advanced IAB, and 20 (25.0%) had atrial fibrillation/flutter. The IAB groups exhibited premature atrial beats more frequently than did the normal P wave group (35.1% vs 17.4%; P < .001); also, other measurements in the IAB groups frequently fell between values observed in the normal P wave and the atrial fibrillation/flutter groups. These measurements included sex preponderance, mental status and dementia, perceived health status, significant mitral regurgitation, and mortality. The IAB group had a higher previous stroke rate (24.3%) than did other groups. Compared with septuagenarians, centenarians less frequently presented a normal P wave (28.8% vs 53.5%) and more frequently presented advanced IAB (26.3% vs 8.2%), atrial fibrillation/flutter (25.0% vs 10.0%), and premature atrial beats (28.3 vs 7.0%) (P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relatively few centenarians (<30%) had a normal P wave, and nearly half had IAB. Our data suggested that IAB, particularly advanced IAB, is a pre-atrial fibrillation condition associated with premature atrial beats. Atrial arrhythmias and IAB occurred more frequently in centenarians than in septuagenarians.
authors.affiliation: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón y Universidad Europea y Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: mmselles@secardiologia.es.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez-Sellés
authors.affiliation: Fundació Investigació Cardiovascular, ICCC, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Massó-van Roessel
authors.affiliation: Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Álvarez-García
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Manacor, Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: García de la Villa
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfonso J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cruz-Jentoft
authors.affiliation: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: María Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Vidán
authors.affiliation: Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López Díaz
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud "Villanueva Norte," Villanueva de la Serena, Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Felix Redondo
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Mérida, Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Durán Guerrero
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayes-Genis
authors.affiliation: Fundació Investigació Cardiovascular, ICCC, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayes de Luna
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006327:Heart Block / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Bayes syndrome; Centenarian; Interatrial block