Checking kidneys on the heart's behalf: high uric acid and atrial fibrillation

A large long-term study investigates whether and how elevated uric acid levels influence the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). The result may open doors to the prevention of AF.

An existing heart disease not a condition for atrial fibrillation

Over 300,000 participants with follow-up of over 25 years.
The higher the uric acid levels, the greater the incidence of AF during the course of the study.
The result was independent of whether or not there were concomitant cardiovascular diseases.
More research is needed to determine whether lowering uric acid levels in middle age is a preventive approach.

The large data base allows reliable conclusions

The data collection is based on the large Swedish AMORIS cohort. The more than 300,000 participants were aged between 30 and 60 years at the beginning of the study. During the 25-year follow-up, the correlation between uric acid levels and the incidence of atrial fibrillation was determined.

Elevated uric acid levels increase VHF risk

The study authors found that there was indeed a correlation between the uric acid levels in the blood and the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias:

The higher the blood level at the beginning of the study, the greater the risk of developing an AF during the course of the study - and this was independent of whether cardiovascular pre-existing diseases or risk factors were present.

A possible approach to prevention

The data could open the doors to further research. More research should be done to see if prevention of atrial fibrillation is possible by lowering uric acid levels in the blood.

Conclusion for medical practice

The study results could offer interesting possibilities for the prevention of AF. However, further research is needed in this regard.

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Source:

Ding M, Viet NN, Gigante B, Lind V, Hammar N, Modig K. Elevated Uric Acid Is Associated With New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation: Results From the Swedish AMORIS Cohort. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Jan 12:e027089. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.027089. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36633024.