Is the association between cognitive disease progression and atrial fibrillation modified by sex?

INTRODUCTIONIt is unclear if sex differences exist in cognitive disease progression in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODSUsing a variety of statistical methods, we examined sex differences between AF and neuropsychological tests and cognitive disease progression, using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data (N = 43,630). RESULTSAF is associated with higher odds of dementia (odds ratio [OR] 3.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.22, 7.37] in women and MCI in women (OR 3.43, 95% CI [1.55, 7.55]) versus men. Women with AF and normal baseline cognition had a higher risk of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] 1.26, 95% CI [1.06, 1.50]) from normal to MCI and from MCI to vascular dementia (HR3.27, 95% CI [1.89, 5.65]) than men with AF or men and women without AF. DISCUSSIONAF was associated with more rapid progression to MCI and dementia in women, but more research is needed to confirm these findings.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and cognitive disease progression, as well as sex differences. The results showed that AF was associated with a higher risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in women. Women with AF and normal cognition were more likely to progress to MCI and vascular dementia than men or individuals without AF. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings.