Association between new metabolic indices and atrial fibrillation in elderly hypertensive patients in China

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to study the relationship between serum uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR) and atrial fibrillation (AF) in elderly patients with hypertension. To provide a scientific basis for the correlation between UHR and AF, which is of great significance to the prevention and control of AF. METHODS: The cross-sectional study utilized data collected from the hypertension registration cohort study. The exposure factor of this study was UHR, and the outcome was AF, defined as AF or atrial flutter captured by standard 12-lead ECG. The association between UHR and AF was evaluated using the logistics regression analysis and the method of penalty spline. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study included 9902 elderly hypertensive patients (4685 males), with an average age of 68.7 ± 6.1 years. The multivariate logistic regression analysis presented a linearly positive relationship between UHR and AF. For per 1 SD increase in UHR, the prevalence of AF was increased by 33%. When UHR was assessed as quartiles, after adjustment for potential covariates, with Q1 group as the reference group, the ORs (95%CIs) for AF in Q2, Q3 and Q4 groups were respectively 1.27 (0.88, 1.83), 1.66 (1.07, 2.57), and 1.75 (1.20, 2.55). The linearly positive correlation between UHR and AF existed stably in each subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: In elderly Chinese patients with hypertension, UHR was linearly and positively correlated with AF, and it might be a novel and effective indicator for the screening for AF.