Atrial Fibrillation Prevalence Is High in Patients With Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis

Patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) have a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study being presented at the International Symposium on Amyloidosis 2024, taking place May 26-30 in Rochester, Minnesota.

In this single-center, retrospective, cohort study, researchers assessed 214 patients (91% men) with ATTR-CA who were evaluated between February 2016 and December 2022. They compared patient demographics, comorbidities, and AF burden across genders.

The study found that 73% of patients with ATTR-CA had AF at diagnosis, which is significantly higher than the rate of 9% in the general population. Also, despite female patients having a lower mean age (79.6 years vs 81.2 years), there was not a statistically significant difference in AF prevalence between genders after adjustment for co-morbidities, including age, race, coronary artery disease, prior coronary artery bypass surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (P=.21).

“AF is the most common arrhythmia in general population, with a prevalence as high as 9% among individuals above the age of 80 years. Our data showed that the prevalence was much higher (73%) in patients with ATTR-CA. Although males typically have higher prevalence of AF, our data indicate no statistical gender disparity, highlighting elevated risk among females with ATTR-CA,” the researchers concluded.