The electrocardiographic PR interval and adverse outcomes in older adults: the health aging, body and composition study
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Abstract
Background: The electrocardiographic PR interval increases with aging, has been shown to differ by race, and has been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), pacemaker implantation and all-cause mortality. To our knowledge the relation of the PR interval to heart failure (HF) has not been examined. We sought to determine the associations between the PR interval and heart failure, AF, and mortality in a biracial cohort of older adults.
Methods: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study is a prospective, biracial cohort. We employed multivariable Cox proportional hazards
models to examine the PR interval (hazard ratios expressed per standard deviation (SO) increase) and 10-year risks of HF, AF , and all-cause mortality.
Results: We examined 2722 Health ABC participants (age 74±3 years , 51 .9% women, and 41% black). We did not identify significant interaction by race for the outcomes studied. Following multivariable adjustment, every SO increase in PR interval was associated with a 13% greater 10-year risk of HF (95% confidence interval, [CI] 1.02 to 1.25) and a 13% increased risk of incident AF (95% Cl, 1.04 to 1.23). PR interval >200 ms was associated with a 49% increased risk of incident HF (95% Cl, 1.16 to 1.93). PR was not associated with increased mortality.
Discussion: We identified significant relations of the PR interval to selected outcomes in older adults. Our findings extend prior investigations by examining the PR interval and associations with adverse outcomes in a biracial cohort of elderly men and women.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University
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