title: Older age and a higher EHRA score allow higher levels of frailty syndrome to be predicted in patients with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is no research that evaluates the relationship between the severity of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AF), the presence of frailty syndrome and acceptance of the illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 132 patients aged 72.7 ± 6.73 with diagnosed AF. The severity of the symptoms of AF was determined according to European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) guidelines, frailty syndrome was assessed using the Tilburg frailty indicator (TFI) and the acceptance of the illness was assessed using the acceptance of illness scale (AIS). A standard statistical comparison and multiple regression analysis using the stepwise method were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with AF, frailty was 5.31 ± 2.69 (TFI). Frailty syndrome was diagnosed in 59.8% of the AF patients who had a score of 7.17 ± 1.72. A higher level of EHRA score was connected with a smaller degree of the acceptance of the illness p = 0.0000. The multiple regression model indicated that age (p = 0.0009) and the severity of the symptoms (p = 0.0001) are important predictors of frailty syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a relationship between the presence of frailty syndrome and the intensity of the symptoms and the acceptance of AF. Age and the EHRA score permitted higher levels of frailty syndrome to be predicted.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Internal Nursing , Chair of Internal Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice , Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mlynarska
authors.affiliation: b Department of Electrocardiology , Upper Silesian Heart Center , Katowice , Poland , and.
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mlynarski
authors.affiliation: c Department of Electrocardiology and Heart Failure , School of Health Sciences, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice , Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Golba
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; EHRA score; acceptance of the illness; frailty syndrome