Income and outcomes of patients with incident atrial fibrillation

Abstract

Background Socioeconomic disparities can be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The impact of personal income on the outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. Methods Nationwide observational registry-based study on patients with incident AF in Finland during 2007-2018. Results 203 154 patients (mean age 73.0 +/- 13.5; females 49.0%) were diagnosed with incident AF during the study period. Overall, 16 272 (8.0%) patients experienced first-ever ischaemic stroke and 63 420 (31.2%) died (mean follow-up 4.3 +/- 3.3 years). After adjusting for confounding factors, low personal income was associated with increased risk of overall mortality in all age strata and the incidence of first--ever stroke in patients aged = 75 years. The magnitude of this effect was greatest in patients aged Conclusions Personal annual income has a significant impact on the incidence of first-ever ischaemic stroke and overall mortality among patients with incident AF, particularly among patients of working age. Low-income indicate the need for intervention strategies to improve outcomes of AF.