Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels and the Development of Atrial Fibrillation in a General Japanese Population　― The Hisayama Study

• Published in: Circulation Journal 2021/07/21, Vol.85(8), pp.1365-1372
• Main Authors: Yoshikawa, Tomoko, Hata, Jun, Sakata, Satoko, Nagata, Takuya, Hirakawa, Yoichiro, Hirooka, Yoshitaka, Tsutsui, Hiroyuki, Kitazono, Takanari, Ninomiya, Toshiharu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Atrial fibrillation; Atrial Fibrillation - epidemiology; Atrial Fibrillation - etiology; Biomarker; Biomarkers; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Cohort study; Female; High-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Humans; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 1346-9843; 1347-4820; 1347-4820
• DOI: 10.1253/circj.CJ-20-0751

Background:Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in the elderly, and causes complications such as cardioembolic stroke. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, has been reported to be a risk factor for developing AF in Western countries. However, few community-based studies have examined this issue in general Asian populations.Methods and Results:A total of 2,510 community-dwelling Japanese participants aged ≥40 years without a history of AF were divided into 4 groups according to the sex-specific quartiles of serum hs-CRP concentrations (Q1, lowest and Q4, highest) and followed up for 24 years. The hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for the development of AF were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. During the follow up, 234 subjects developed AF. The risk of AF increased significantly with elevating serum hs-CRP levels after adjustment for potential confounding factors (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], Q1, 1.00 [reference]; Q2, 1.26 [0.83–1.92]; Q3, 1.77 [1.18–2.66]; and Q4, 1.89 [1.24–2.86]; P for trend