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Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces one-year risk of atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction

  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Prescription
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Abstract

Purpose

Current strategies for avoiding atrial fibrillation (AF) are of limited value. We aim to assess the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and AF occurrence in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients.

Methods

A population study, linking hospital discharge records, prescription databases, and vital statistics, was conducted and included all consecutive patients with MI (ICD-9: 410) in six Italian local health authorities over a 3-year period. A propensity score (PS)-based, 5-to-1, greedy 1:1 matching algorithm was used to check consistency of results. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of findings.

Results

N-3 PUFA reduced the relative risk of the hospitalization for AF [hazard ratio (HR) 0.19, 95% CI 0.07–0.51] and was associated with a further and complementary reduction in all-cause mortality (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05–0.46). PS-based matched analysis and sensitivity analysis confirmed the main results.

Conclusion

n-3 PUFA reduced both all-cause mortality and incidence of 1-year AF in patients hospitalized with MI.

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Correspondence to Alejandro Macchia.

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Macchia, A., Monte, S., Pellegrini, F. et al. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces one-year risk of atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 64, 627–634 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-008-0464-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-008-0464-z

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