Association of electrocardiographic and imaging surrogates of left ventricular hypertrophy with incident atrial fibrillation: MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis)

J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 May 20;63(19):2007-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.01.066. Epub 2014 Mar 19.

Abstract

Objectives: This study sought to examine the association between left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), defined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and electrocardiography (ECG), with incident atrial fibrillation (AF).

Background: Previous studies of the association between AF and LVH were based primarily on echocardiographic measures of LVH.

Methods: The MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) enrolled 4,942 participants free of clinically recognized cardiovascular disease. Incident AF was based on MESA-ascertained hospital-discharge International Classification of Diseases codes and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services inpatient hospital claims. CMR-LVH was defined as left ventricular mass ≥95th percentile of the MESA population distribution. Eleven ECG-LVH criteria were assessed. The association of LVH with incident AF was evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for CVD risk factors.

Results: During a median follow-up of 6.9 years, 214 incident AF events were documented. Participants with AF were more likely to be older, hypertensive, and overweight. The risk of AF was greater in participants with CMR-derived LVH (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15 to 3.62). AF was associated with ECG-derived LVH measure of Sokolow-Lyon voltage product after adjusting for CMR-LVH (HR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.06 to 3.14, p = 0.02). The associations with AF for CMR-LVH and Sokolow-Lyon voltage product were attenuated when adjusted for CMR left atrial volumes.

Conclusions: In a multiethnic cohort of participants without clinically detected cardiovascular disease, both CMR and ECG-derived LVH were associated with incident AF. ECG-LVH showed prognostic significance independent of CMR-LVH. The association was attenuated when adjusted for CMR left atrial volumes.

Keywords: atrial fibrillation; cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; electrocardiography; left ventricular hypertrophy.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Atherosclerosis / diagnosis
  • Atherosclerosis / ethnology*
  • Atherosclerosis / physiopathology
  • Atrial Fibrillation / diagnosis
  • Atrial Fibrillation / ethnology*
  • Atrial Fibrillation / physiopathology
  • Electrocardiography*
  • Ethnicity / ethnology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / diagnosis
  • Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / ethnology*
  • Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / physiopathology
  • Incidence
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged