[Epidemiology of the relationship between atrial fibrillation and heart failure].

Atrial fibrillation and heart failure are diseases which often coexist aggravating prognosis and constituting a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in patients with chronic heart failure and to determine the clinical profile of this group of patients. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study based on the registry of heart failure of the Department of Cardiology at the University Hospital Centre from June 2006 to March 2015. All patients over 18 years of age with chronic heart failure associated with atrial fibrillation were included in the study. During the study period 3048 patients with chronic heart failure associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) were enrolled. The prevalence of heart failure was 10.6%. The frequency of cardiovascular risk factors associated with (AF) was: (54%) hypertension, (39%) diabetes, (8%) dyslipidemia, (26%) tobacco, (30%) sedentary lifestyle and (17%) menopause. FA affected 67.4% of men and 32.6% of women. The causes of chronic heart failure associated with atrial fibrillation were: heart valve diseases (44;1%); coronary artery diseases (32%); hypertensive (11%), primary (10%), toxic (2%) and chronic alcoholism (1%). Atrial fibrillation frequently appears in patients with heart failure in Morocco and it occurs at an average age lower than that found in the literature.