Women with atrial fibrillation and type 2 diabetes have a higher incidence of hospitalization and undergo ablation or pacemaker implantation less frequently than men.

BACKGROUND

We reviewed trends from 2004 to 2013 in the incidence and outcomes for atrial fibrillation (AF) in Spanish patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) comparing women and men.

METHODS

We used national hospital discharge data including all T2DM patients discharged from the hospital after AF. Patients with AF in the primary diagnosis field were selected. Discharges were grouped by sex. Incidence was calculated overall and stratified by sex. We analyzed diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, patient comorbidities, CHA2DS2-VASc score, length of hospital stay, readmission rates and in-hospital mortality (IHM).

RESULTS

We identified a total of 214,457 admissions for AF. Patients with T2DM accounted for 21.1% (19,505 men and 25,954 women). Women with T2DM had a significantly higher incidence of AF compared to men over the study period (IRR 1.33;95%CI 1.31-1.35). Women were significantly older (77.24±8.69years) than men (72.62±10.28years), had higher prevalences of obesity and hypertension, and higher CHA2DS2-VASc score. Women less frequently underwent ablation (3.21% vs. 1.54%; p<0.001) and received an implanted pacemaker (14.3% vs. 8.16%; p<0.001) than men. Crude IHM was 2.81% for women and 2.48% for men (p=0.030). Sex was not associated with a higher IHM after multivariable adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates an increase in hospitalization for AF in diabetic women. Women were older, had a higher comorbidity index and had CHAD2DS2-VASc score than men. Women with AF and T2DM undergo ablation or pacemaker implantation less frequently than their male counterparts. After multivariable adjustment sex did not predict mortality during admissions for AF.