Tingting Feng has used the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) to look at associations between metabolic and mental health and risk of atrial fibrillation.
MAIN RESULTS:
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Weight gain is linked to substantially increased atrial fibrillation risk.
- Also metabolically healthy obese persons are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation.
- Severe depression and anxiety are not linked to future atrial fibrillation.
THESIS DEFENCE:
Thesis: Obesity, metabolic factors, symptoms of depression and anxiety and risk of atrial fibrillation. The North Trøndelag Health Study (The HUNT Study)
Candidate: Tingting Feng
Time: March 6, 2020 at 12:15
Place: St. Olavs Hospital, Norwegian Brain Center: Auditorium MTA
Link to university website (in Norwegian)
SUMMARY:
(1) Long-term obesity and change in BMI over time are associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation. People who stay overweight over many years have 20% increased risk compared with normal weight persons, whereas the risk is increased by 60% in long-term obesity. Both weight loss and especially weight gain are also associated with increased atrial fibrillation risk compared to being weight-stable. Gaining more than 5 kg/m2 over time was associated with almost three-fold increased risk.
15,214 individuals from the third HUNT Study in 2006–2008 were included. Feng and co-workers also had information on weight at HUNT2 ten years earlier, at HUNT1 20 years earlier, and at a tuberculosis screening 40 years before baseline. The participants were followed until 2015, and by then 1149 developed atrial fibrillation.
(2) Both metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese persons are at 60% increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation. The study includes 47,870 HUNT3 participants, of which 19,332 had the metabolic syndrome and were regarded metabolically unhealthy. The participants were followed for a median of eight years, and 1758 men and women developed atrial fibrillation during follow-up.
(3) Symptoms of mild to moderate depression are associated with 50% increased risk of atrial fibrillation. However, severe depressive symptoms and anxiety were not linked to atrial fibrillation risk in Feng’s study. The study follows 37,402 HUNT3 participants until 2015. 1433 of them developed atrial fibrillation.
REFERENCES:
(1) Feng, T., Vegard, M., Strand, L. B., Laugsand, L. E., Mørkedal, B., Aune, D., Vatten, L., Ellekjær, H., Loennechen, J. P., Mukamal, K., & Janszky, I. (2019). Metabolically healthy obesity and risk for atrial fibrillation: the Hunt study. Obesity, 27(2), 332-338.
(2) Feng, T., Vegard, M., Strand, L. B., Laugsand, L. E., Mørkedal, B., Aune, D., Vatten, L., Ellekjær, H., Loennechen, J. P., Mukamal, K., & Janszky, I. (2019). Weight and weight change and risk of atrial fibrillation: the HUNT study. European heart journal, 40(34), 2859-2866.
(3) Feng, T., Malmo, V., Laugsand, L. E., Strand, L. B., Gustad, L. T., Ellekjær, H., Loennechen, J. P., Mukamal, K., & Janszky, I. (2019). Symptoms of anxiety and depression and risk of atrial fibrillation—The HUNT study. International journal of cardiology.
