Season of Birth and Cardiovascular Mortality in Atrial Fibrillation: A Population-Based Cohort Study

The fetal origins hypothesis have associated early life exposures with the development of adverse health outcomes in adulthood. Season of birth has been shown to be associated with overall and cardiovascular mortality.

We performed a retrospective database study to explore the association between season of birth and mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation.

A total of 8962 patients with AF were identified in the database with 1253 deaths recorded. AF patients born in spring and summer had a higher mortality rate when compared to those born in autumn and winter (hazard ratio (HR) 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.26, p = 0.03). This effect was consistent in the male subgroup (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.51, p = 0.02 for males born in spring; HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.51, p = 0.03 for males born in summer when compared to winter as the reference) but not in females (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.79-1.31, p = 0.88 for females born in spring; HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.87-1.42, p = 0.39 for females born in summer when compared to winter as the reference). Results persisted after adjustment for baseline characteristics and clinical risk profile. A similar pattern was observed with cardiovascular mortality.

Birth in spring or summer is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality in male AF patients, but not in females. This could be related to the underlying differences in rates of major adverse clinical events between genders. Further studies should aim at clarifying the mechanisms behind this association, which may help us understand the higher level of risk in female patients with AF.