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Published on: February 26, 2013
Prevalence of atrial fibrillation and associated factors among adult cardiac patients at Ambo University Referral
Debela Ejeta1, Megersa Negesa1, Bayisa Abdissa2
1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences and Referral Hospital, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia.
Insights
Atrial fibrillation affects nearly 30% of cardiac patients, with prevalence increasing in older adults and those with heart conditions. Optimizing physical activity and managing underlying diseases are key to mitigating this growing epidemic.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia globally.
- Its incidence and prevalence are rising, posing significant public health and economic challenges.
- AF contributes substantially to morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in a cohort of cardiac patients.
- To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with atrial fibrillation in this population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 376 cardiac patients.
- Data collected and analyzed using logistic regression (bivariable and multivariable).
- Statistical significance assessed at p < 0.05, with results presented as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Main Results:
- The overall prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 29.8% (95% CI: 25.2%-34.7%).
- Significant associations included age > 60 years, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, and physical inactivity.
- Statin use was found to be a protective factor (AOR = 0.16, p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Atrial fibrillation is highly prevalent in cardiac patients, particularly in older individuals and those with comorbidities.
- Key risk factors include advanced age, various heart diseases, and physical inactivity.
- Interventions focusing on physical activity, screening, and treatment of at-risk individuals are crucial for managing atrial fibrillation.
Background:
Atrial fibrillation is most the common arrhythmia in the world. Its incidence and prevalence have increased over the last 20 years and will continue to increase over next 30 years, becoming one of the largest epidemics challenges. Its presence leads to morbidity and mortality, posing a considerable burden on patients, public health, and healthcare economy.
Methods:
Institution based cross sectional study was conducted between September 2, 2024 and January 30, 2025 on 376 cardiac patients. Data were entered to Epidata 3.1v then exported to SPSS 27v for analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used. Statistical significance was declared at p value < .05 then interpreted using adjusted odd ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).
Result:
In this study, overall prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 29.8% (95% CI: 25.2%-34.7%). Factors including age > 60 years (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: (1.07-8.66)); p value .037, Heart failure (AOR = 6.72, 95% CI: (3.12-14.44)); p value < .001, ischemic heart disease (AOR = 3.83, 95% CI: (1.40-10.44)); p value .009, valvular heart disease (AOR = 3.53, 95% CI: (1.58-7.92)); p value .002, hypertensive heart disease (AOR = 6.92, 95% CI: (2.02-23.73)); p value .002, pulmonary hypertension (AOR = 8.86, 95% CI: (3.37-23.27)); p value < .001, physical inactivity (AOR = 4.21, 95% CI: (1.99-8.92)); p value < .001, and statin use (AOR = 0.16, 95% CI: (0.06-0.43)); p value < .001 were found to be statistically significant factors associated with atrial fibrillation.
Conclusion:
In this study, prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 29.8%. Factors associated with AF were age > 60 years, Heart failure, ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, Pulmonary hypertension, physical inactivity, and Statin use. Therefore, optimizing physical activity, screening and treating at-risk patients is important.
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