Association between blood pressure and new brain white matter lesions in atrial fibrillation patients

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and hypertension (HTN) often occur together. A cross-sectional study in patients with AF has shown that blood pressure (BP) is associated with white matter lesions (WML), which are known to have a negative impact on cognitive function. Purpose We aimed to investigate the association of BP and new WML occurring in patients with AF during a follow-up of 2 years. Methods We enrolled 1129 patients with documented AF who underwent a standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging (bMRI) at baseline and after 2-years follow-up. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were measured at baseline in every patient. BP was categorized into the following groups: optimal BP (SBP