ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Despite the burden of atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) in the USA, an assessment of contemporary mortality trends is scarce in the literature. This study aimed to assess the temporal trends in AF/AFL deaths among US adults by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and census region from 1999 to 2020. METHODS: National mortality data was abstracted from the National Center for Health Statistics to identify decedents whose underlying cause of death was cardiovascular disease and multiple cause of death, AF/AFL. Joinpoint regression assessed mortality trends, and we calculated the average percentage changes (APC) and average annual percentage changes in mortality rates. Results were presented as effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2020, 657,126 adults died from AF/AFL in the USA. Contemporary trends have worsened overall except among individuals from the Northeast region for whom the rates have remained stationary since 2015 (APC = 0.1; 95% CI, - 1.0, 1.1). Regional and demographic disparities were observed, with higher rates noted among younger persons below 65 years of age, women (APC = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.7, 2.5), and non-Hispanic Blacks (APC = 4.5; 95% CI, 3.9, 5.2). CONCLUSIONS: The temporal trends in AF/AFL mortality in the USA have exhibited a worsening pattern in recent years, with regional and demographic disparities. Further investigations are warranted to explore the determinants of AF/AFL mortality in the US population and identify factors that may explain the observed differences. Understanding these factors will facilitate efforts to promote improved and equitable health outcomes for the population.
