Abstract 11699: Psoriatic Arthritis Increases the Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation - A Community-based Study

Background:Emerging evidence suggests that systemic inflammation and autoimmunity play an important role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to assess the association of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with incident AF.Methods:We conducted a population-based case-control study of 8357 residents (age 72.3?14.5 years; 48.7% women) from Olmsted County, MN with new-onset AF and a corresponding 8357 controls matched by age, sex and presentation date between January 1980, and December, 2010. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate odds ratio for the association between AF and PsA.Results:The prevalence of PsA among AF cases and non-AF controls was 0.31% vs 0.14%, P=.03. At presentation, AF cases had significantly higher WBC (9.2?5.6 vs 7.5?3.4, P<.001) and median (IQR) CRP levels [20.4 (8.0, 92.9) vs 9.6 (4.9, 41.0), P=.002] compared with non-AF controls. In univariate analysis, PsA was associated with incident AF, and OR (95% CI) was 2.27 (1.15-4.81), P=.02. In multivariate regression analysis, after adjusting for Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and antiarrhythmic drugs therapy, PsA remained an independent predictor of incident AF, and OR was 2.05 (95% CI 1.02-4.14).Conclusion:PsA was significantly associated with incident AF beyond the risk predicted by traditional risk factors. Further studies are needed to evaluate the significance of the autoimmune process in the etiology and pathogenesis of AF.