High uric acid levels linked to atrial fibrillation risk

Elevated uric acid concentration appears to contribute to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) regardless of the presence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors, according to a study.

The study used data from the Swedish AMORIS (Apolipoprotein‐Mortality Risk) cohort and included 339,604 individuals aged 30–60 years who were free from cardiovascular disease at baseline. Researchers analysed the association between uric acid and AF using Cox regression models.

Over a mean follow‐up of 25.9 years, 46,16 patients had AF. Uric acid levels showed a dose-response relationship with AF risk. The risk of AF relative to patients in the lowest uric acid quartile was 9-percent higher among patients in the second uric acid quartile (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.09, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.06–1.12), 19 percent higher among those in the third quartile (aHR, 1.19, 95 percent CI, 1.16–1.23), and 45-percent higher among those in the fourth quartile (aHR, 1.45, 95 percent CI, 1.41–1.49).

The association between high uric acid levels and increased AF risk was evident among patients with and without incident hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, or coronary heart disease. The dose–response pattern of association was replicated in a subsample of individuals with repeated measurements of uric acid.

More studies are needed to investigate whether lowering uric acid is useful for preventing AF.