Hypertension control and end-stage renal disease in atrial fibrillation: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Background: The impact of hypertension control on the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the impact of hypertension control on incident ESRD among AF patients.

Methods: From the National Health Information database of Korea, we identified ESRD-free patients who were newly diagnosed with AF during 2010 and 2016. The patients were divided into four groups (NN, NH, HN, and HH) according to combinations of dichotomous blood pressure status [normotensive (N) or hypertensive (H)] of two consecutive check-ups. The primary outcome was incident ESRD. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis evaluated ESRD risks across the groups. The association between ESRD risks and changes in blood pressures was also evaluated.

Results: During the mean follow-up duration of 3.2 ± 1.9 years, 130,259 ESRD-free patients with AF (mean age 63.1 ± 12.1 years, male 61.2%) were evaluated. Compared to NN, other patient groups showed higher ESRD risks [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) = 1.43 (1.08-1.89), 1.39 (1.08-1.79), and 2.03 (1.55-2.65) for NH, HN, and HH, respectively]. There was a significant trend of decreasing risks of ESRD in patients with greater reductions in systolic blood pressure after AF diagnosis (p for-trend < 0.001). The association between hypertension control and the ESRD risk was more accentuated in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Conclusion: Uncontrolled hypertension was associated with an increased risk of incident ESRD in patients with newly diagnosed AF. This study emphasizes the importance of blood pressure control once patients are diagnosed with AF to prevent ESRD.