Atrial fibrillation in adult congenital heart disease in Asia

Introduction With the improvement of long-term survival of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), complications such as atrial fibrillation (AF) have become a concern. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology data and risk factors of AF in adult CHD (ACHD) patients and evaluate the impact of AF on late outcomes using a large ACHD cohort in Asia. Method This study enrolled all CHD patients older than 18 years of age diagnosed with CHD at National Taiwan University Hospital between 2007 and 2018. Data on patients' clinical characteristics, electrocardiogram, Holter reports, and follow-up information were collected. AF status was classified as sustained AF, paroxysmal AF, or intra-atrial reentry tachycardia (IART). CHD was categorized as simple, severe, or complex CHD (single ventricle). Primary endpoint was defined as cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) or death. Result The study included 4403 patients (55.9% women), with 16.4% having severe and 2.9% having complex CHD. The cumulative incidence of AF was 6.9% (54.8% paroxysmal AF, 26.9% sustained AF, and 18.4% IART), which is comparable to the Western countries. The incidence increased with age and was higher in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH, 27%), complex CHD (12.7%), and metabolic syndrome. The mean onset age of IART, paroxysmal, and sustained AF was 35.7?15.8, 48.4?19.3, and 56.9?14.2 years, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that male sex, PH, and severe and complex CHD were the most critical risk factors for AF (odds ratio 1.67, 1.91, 3.55, and 12.6, respectively). The 70-year CVA-free survival rate was 67.1% in patients with AF (vs. 80.5% in those without AF, p<0.001). However, multivariate Cox regression analysis identified male sex, PH, severe and complex CHD, and genetic syndrome as the most significant risk factors of the primary endpoint (odds ratio 1.76, 3.38, 2.62 and 19.3, and 8.91, respectively). Conclusions: This large ACHD cohort showed a high cumulative incidence of AF, similar to the Western countries, which increased with age, PH, and CHD severity. CVA-free survival was more closely associated with these factors than with AF. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Clinical Trial not clinical trial ### Funding Statement This work was supported by the National Science Council in Taiwan (107-2314-B-002-169-MY3 and 110-2314-B-002-086-MY3). ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Not Applicable The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: National Taiwan University Hospital Institution Review Board 201806073RINB I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Not Applicable I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Not Applicable I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Not Applicable The raw data will be provided by the corresponding author if required.