Associations of Atrial Fibrillation with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: An Investigation Using SPRINT Research Materials

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Aniqa B Alam, Emory University; Ambar Kulshreshtha, Emory University; Linzi Li, Emory University; Vinita Subramanya, Emory University; Alvaro Alonso, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-10-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 by the authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm11195800
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 19
• Grant/Funding Information: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.; Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, Additionally, Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K24HL148521 and by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30AG066511.
• Keywords: PERSISTENT; RHYTHM-MANAGEMENT; General & Internal Medicine; TRIAL; SYSTOLIC BLOOD-PRESSURE; STROKE; Science & Technology; dementia; RISK; Medicine, General & Internal; atrial fibrillation; HYPERTENSION; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; LIFE; ascertainment
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is linked to increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline, but whether AF and its ascertainment methods affect cognition in patients with hypertension has received less attention. Methods: We studied 8469 participants with elevated systolic blood pressure who were free of stroke and diabetes at baseline enrolled in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial. AF was ascertained using three approaches: self-report of AF, AF from a safety event, and study electrocardiogram-determined (ECG) AF. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and probable dementia (PD) were ascertained from in-person assessments or telephone interviews from the participant or an informant. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios for the association of AF (all three sources) with outcomes of MCI, PD, and a composite MCI/PD outcome. Results: During a mean follow-up of 4.6 years, 974 (12%) participants had AF (prevalent or incident), 634 were diagnosed with MCI, and 316 with PD. When comparing those with AF (from any source) to those without, no differences were detected in the risk of MCI or PD. Comparison between AF sources found ECG-AF to be associated with an elevated risk of MCI/PD (hazard ratio (HR) 1.59, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.06, 2.38). Neither AF ascertained through safety events nor self-reported AF were associated with MCI or PD. Conclusion: The association of AF with incidence of MCI/PD differed by method of AF ascertainment. Case definition of AF and quantification of AF burden are important factors in studies evaluating the link between AF and cognitive dysfunction.