Open AccessProteinuria Detected by Urine Dipstick Test as a Risk Factor for Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Population-Based Study
Author(s) -
WooHyun Lim,
Eue Keun Choi,
Kyungdo Han,
TaeMin Rhee,
Hyunjung Lee,
SoRyoung Lee,
SangWon Kang,
MyungJin Cha,
Seil Oh
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-06579-0
Subject(s) - proteinuria , medicine , dipstick , atrial fibrillation , risk factor , renal function , population , incidence (geometry) , urine , kidney , physics , environmental health , optics
Proteinuria is one of the well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However the impact of proteinuria on the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between proteinuria detected using urine dipstick test and the risk of AF. A total of 18,201,275 individuals were analyzed, who had no prior AF and had received biennial health checkups provided by the National Health Insurance Service between 2005 and 2008 in Korea. Incidences of AF were ascertained through the end of 2015. During a mean follow-up of 9.6 years, a total of 324,764 (1.8%) developed AF (1.86 per 1,000 person-years). In Cox regression models, proteinuria was associated with an increased risk of AF: adjusted HR and 95% CI of AF occurrence were 1.13 (1.10–1.16), 1.34 (1.31–1.38), 1.53 (1.48–1.58), 1.82 (1.71–1.94), and 1.86 (1.61–2.16) in individuals with trace, 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+ proteinuria, respectively, compared with those without proteinuria. The result was consistent even after additional adjustment for estimated glomerular filtration rate. In addition, the risk of AF further increased or decreased according to the follow-up dipstick test results. Thus, proteinuria measured with a dipstick test might be considered a potent risk factor for AF development.