Atrial fibrillation: a real-life observational study in the Québec population

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and has been associated with heart failure, stroke, and mortality. The prevalence of AF is expected to rise with the aging population. Our objectives were to characterize the Québec AF patient population at the time of diagnosis of AF, quantify medical resource use prior to and after the initial diagnosis of AF, and determine overall survival.

A retrospective cohort study was undertaken using the Régie de l'Assurance Maladie du Québec databases to evaluate patients diagnosed with AF between January 1, 1998, and April 30, 2009.

A total of 64,157 patients were included in our study population. At the time of diagnosis of AF, patients also suffered from several diseases, including heart failure (15.8%) and angina pectoris (15.1%). Compared with the year prior to AF diagnosis, in the year after AF diagnosis patients were more frequently hospitalized (1.5 vs 1.1 hospitalizations) and for longer periods (5.6 vs 3.3 days), and had more outpatient visits (12.9 vs 11.7). Survival rapidly decreased during the first 60 days (60-day mortality, 6.1%) and steadily declined thereafter, with mortality rates of 14.7% and 36.8% at 1 and 5 years, respectively.

At the time of diagnosis of AF, patients often suffer from several comorbidities. Diagnosis of AF is associated with an increase in medical resource use and higher mortality rates, particularly within the first 60 days.