PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New-onset atrial fibrillation in initially healthy women may increase risk of premature death

2011-05-25
(Press-News.org) In a follow-up of participants from the Women's Health Study, seemingly healthy middle-aged women with new-onset atrial fibrillation had an associated increased risk of cardiovascular, noncardiovascular, and all-cause death, with some of the risk potentially explained by nonfatal cardiovascular events, according to a study in the May 25 issue of JAMA.

"Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and its prevalence is markedly increasing over time. Substantial evidence exists that the risk of stroke, congestive heart failure (CHF), and cognitive dysfunction is higher in patients with AF, underscoring the importance of AF as a public health problem. In addition, several studies involving mainly older individuals with and without cardiovascular disease found an increased risk of death in patients with AF," the authors write. "The risks associated with new-onset AF among middle-aged women and populations with a low comorbidity [co-existing illness] burden are poorly defined."

David Conen, M.D., M.P.H., of University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues conducted a study with data from the Women's Health Study to assess the risk of death and cardiovascular events among initially healthy middle-aged women with new-onset AF. Between 1993 and March 2010, 34,722 women participating in the Women's Health Study underwent prospective follow-up. Participants were 95 percent white, older than 45 years (median [midpoint], 53 years), and free of AF and cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study.

During a median follow-up of 15.4 years, 1,011 women developed AF. Also, there were a total of 1,602 deaths from all causes, including 63 deaths among women in the new onset AF group. The authors' analysis indicated that the age-adjusted relative risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality was significantly higher among women with new-onset AF. "Adjustment for nonfatal cardiovascular events potentially on the causal pathway to death attenuated [weakened] these relationships, but new-onset AF remained significantly associated with all mortality components," the authors write. They add that these findings suggest that this increased risk is partly mediated through the occurrence of nonfatal cardiovascular disease, particularly the development of CHF and stroke.

"In this large cohort of initially healthy women at low risk of cardiovascular disease, women with new-onset AF had an increased risk of death and incident cardiovascular events. Because a significant proportion of the excess mortality risk appears attributable to the occurrence of nonfatal cardiovascular events prior to death, there is a potential opportunity to improve the outcome of individuals with new-onset AF through both prevention and optimal management of these associated comorbidities," the authors conclude.

(JAMA. 2011;305[20]2080-2087. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Mortality Risk Among Middle-aged Women With First Atrial Fibrillation

In an accompanying editorial, Yoko Miyasaka, M.D., Ph.D., of Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Japan, and Teresa S. M. Tsang, M.D., of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, comment on the findings of this study.

"The report by Conen and colleagues provides compelling evidence that the first detection of AF in otherwise event-free middle-aged women is associated with a significantly increased mortality risk, which may reflect an existing higher cardiovascular risk burden including subclinical structural substrates of AF. Whether treatment of AF including stroke prevention and aggressive management of cardiovascular risk factors can reverse the mortality risk associated with AF among these women awaits future studies."

(JAMA. 2011;305[20]2116-2117. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

###

To contact David Conen, M.D., M.P.H., email conend@uhbs.ch. To contact editorial co-author Teresa S. M. Tsang, M.D., call Brian Lin at 604-822-2234 or email brian.lin@ubc.ca.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Certain biomarkers appear to increase risk of death for elderly patients with heart failure symptoms

2011-05-25
Elderly patients with symptoms of heart failure and increased concentrations in the blood of the biomarker copeptin, or a combination of elevated concentrations of copeptin and the biomarker NT-proBNP, had an associated increased risk of all-cause death, according to a study in the May 25 issue of JAMA. "A central part in evaluation of elderly patients with symptoms of heart failure is to identify simple tools that can aid the clinician in identifying high-risk and low-risk patients. Combining a biomarker produced locally in the myocardium [the muscle tissue of the heart] ...

Rethinking extinction risk?

2011-05-25
For more than 40 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published the Red List of Threatened Species describing the conservation status of various species of animals. They are now also including plants in their lists and the picture they present is dramatic. According to recent estimates, around 20 per cent of flowering plants are currently at risk of extinction – though the exact number is unknown since such a small proportion of plant species has even been measured. Now, however, research conducted in South Africa and the U.K. by an international ...

The healing power of hydrogen peroxide

2011-05-25
New information has come to light explaining how injured skin cells and touch-sensing nerve fibers coordinate their regeneration during wound healing. UCLA researchers Sandra Rieger and Alvaro Sagasti found that a chemical signal released by wounded skin cells promotes the regeneration of sensory fibers, thus helping to ensure that touch sensation is restored to healing skin. They discovered that the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, which is found at high concentrations at wounds, is a key component of this signal. The study, published on May 24th in the online, ...

Grape Escapes - 6 of the Best Vineyard Cycle Routes

Grape Escapes - 6 of the Best Vineyard Cycle Routes
2011-05-25
Once there, exploring by bike means that you'll often stumble upon the lesser-known vineyards too (we'll point you in the right direction!), and you'll find that owners will welcome you as long-lost friends rather than fleeting tourists! Don't forget too that, if you have your car in the region with you, we offer a complimentary wine service where we'll collect any purchases and deliver them to your final hotel for you. So, if you enjoy wine, and fancy the idea of trying out old favourites, as well as making some new discoveries, here are 6 cycling holidays we think ...

Expanded VLA flexing new scientific muscle

2011-05-25
A new and uniquely powerful tool for cutting-edge science is emerging on the crisp, high desert of western New Mexico. Outwardly, it looks much the same as the famed Very Large Array (VLA), a radio telescope that has spent more than three decades on the frontiers of astronomical research. The 27 white, 230-ton dish antennas still peer skyward, the 72 miles of railroad track still wait to transport the antennas across the arid plains, the familiar buildings remain, and crews still fan out across the desert to service the antennas. Functionally, however, everything has ...

Research suggests that lipofilling may be safe during conservation treatment for breast cancer

2011-05-25
A new study has gone some way to answering the question about whether or not a technique called lipofilling is safe for women who are having their breasts reconstructed after surgery for breast cancer. Lipofilling involves taking some fat from another area of a woman's body, such as her abdomen, and using it to fill in small defects or asymmetry that may occur during breast reconstruction. However, until now, there has been a lack of evidence as to whether or not the technique could trigger a recurrence of the original breast cancer, and so plastic surgeons have not ...

Atrial fibrillation associated with increased risk of death and cardiovascular events in women

2011-05-25
Boston, MA – Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have found that among women who are mostly healthy, those diagnosed with atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of death when compared to women without atrial fibrillation. These findings are published in the May 25, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "We knew that atrial fibrillation was associated with an increase risk of death in most cases, but in this study we found that even in a population of women who were mostly healthy and did not have established cardiovascular ...

Wales faces deepest NHS cuts of all UK countries

2011-05-25
In Wales, the NHS is set for a real budget cut of nearly 11% over four years, while England escapes the deepest cuts across the four nations, according to John Appleby, Chief Economist at the King's Fund on bmj.com today. In much of the discussion and debate about health care spending and reform, the "N" in NHS seems often to stand for England, writes Appleby. Yet around 10 million people in the UK do not live in England or use its health care services. Given the political arguments about whether the NHS budget has received a real increase in funding over the next ...

Increasing daily calcium will not reduce the risk of fractures in later life

2011-05-25
While moderate amounts of calcium (around 700 mg a day) are vital for maintaining healthy bones, there is no need to start increasing calcium intake in order to reduce the risk of fractures or osteoporosis in later life, finds a paper published on bmj.com today. As people age, their bones lose calcium and they are more at risk of fractures and osteoporosis - this is especially the case for women. As well as causing individual suffering, fractures are a huge drain on health services. With ageing populations, this burden will increase in the coming years and therefore ...

Comparable effectiveness shown for 2 common sudden deafness treatments

2011-05-25
Direct injection of steroids into the middle ear for the treatment of sudden deafness was shown to be no more or less effective than oral steroids in restoring hearing levels in a large comparison study of patients. The study results appear in the May 25, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The multicenter clinical trial was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health. It is the largest treatment trial ever conducted to study the outcomes, over time, of patients ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

[Press-News.org] New-onset atrial fibrillation in initially healthy women may increase risk of premature death