Risk of sick sinus syndrome in patients diagnosed with atrial
fibrillation: a population-based cohort
Abstract
Background: Sinoatrial node dysfunction and atrial fibrillation (AF)
frequently coexist and interact with each other, often to initiate and
perpetuate each other. Objective: To determine the effect of AF on the
incidence and risk of sick sinus syndrome (SSS). Methods: The
association of incident AF with the development of incident SSS was
assessed from 2004 to 2013 in 302,229 SSS- and pacemaker-free
participants aged ≥60 years in the Korea National Health Insurance
Service-Senior cohort. Results: During an observation period of
1,854,800 person-years, incident AF was observed in a total of 12,797
participants (0.69%/year). The incidence of SSS was 0.2 and 3.4 per
1000 person-years in the incident AF and the propensity score matched
no-AF groups, respectively. After adjustment, the risk of SSS caused by
incident AF was significantly increased, with a hazard ratio (HR) of
13.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.4–21.4). This finding was
consistently observed after censoring for heart failure (HR, 16.0; 95%
CI: 9.2–28.0) or heart failure/myocardial infarction (HR, 16.6; 95%
CI: 9.3-29.7). Incident AF also was associated with an increased risk of
pacemaker implantation related with both SSS (HR, 21.8; 95% CI:
8.7–18.4) and atrioventricular (AV) block (HR, 9.5; 95% CI:
4.9–18.4). These results were consistent regardless of sex and
comorbidities. Conclusion: Incident AF was associated with more than ten
times increased risk of SSS in an elderly population regardless of
comorbidities. Risk of pacemaker implantations related with both sinus
node dysfunction and AV block were increased in elderly population with
incident AF.