Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction
Atrial Fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia, causing an irregular and rapid
heart rate. This occurs due to electric and structural remodeling of the atria,
which creates the rapidly discharging foci.
Aims
This study aims to explore the national
mortality trends resulting from Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter in the United States
from 1999-2022 while also studying the discrepancies among the various socio-
demographic groups.
Methods
The death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiological Research (CDC Wonder) database
were explored to investigate the Atrial fibrillation and flutter mortality from 1999
to 2022, focusing on the Age-Adjusted Mortality Rate (AAMR) per 1,000,000
individuals. We employed Joinpoint Regression Analysis to compute Annual
Percent Changes (APC) with a 95% Confidence Interval. The data was further
stratified into epidemiological groups of age, gender, ethnicity, and census region.
Results
There was a steady rise in mortality from 1999 to 2017 (APC: 2.96), followed by a
rapid surge in mortality trends from 2017 to 2022 (APC: 7.35). The mortality rate
rose fairly equally among both genders over the years, with males having a
slightly steeper incline (Male AAPC: 4.27, Female AAPC: 3.43). African Americans
had the greatest number of deaths due to atrial fibrillation and flutter and the
greatest rise was during recent years from 2017 to 2022 (APC: 9.64). The atrial
fibrillation and flutter related mortality was the greatest among 25-34-year-olds,
with the mortality decreasing among the older populations. All US Census regions
had similar mortality rates and trends.
Conclusion
This study reveals an overall rise in mortality associated with atrial fibrillation and
flutter. It also highlighted disparities across gender, age, and geographic regions.
These findings emphasize the need for further research and the development of
targeted interventions to reduce mortality and alleviate the burden of this
debilitating condition.