Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to compare the rate of onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) as compared with controls. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study on national health registry comparing the incidence of AF between a cohort of 15 670 BPH patients and a propensity-matched cohort of 15 670 control patients. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of incident AF associated with BPH. A subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the risk of AF among BPH patients whether they received a BPH surgery or not as compared with those without BPH. RESULTS: We found a 4.77 incidence rate per 1000 person-years in the BPH group, compared to 3.76 in the control group. After controlling for the confounders, a significant association between BPH and risk of incident AF was shown with an adjusted HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.11-1.28) and this association was attenuated once surgical intervention for BPH has been applied (adjusted HR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.76-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the notion that BPH is associated with greater AF occurrence.