Abstract 14927: Women With Atrial Fibrillation Have Lower Quality of Life

IntroductionAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia associated with an adverse impact on Quality of Life (QoL). Prior studies have shown sex differences in symptom burden and QoL, such that women with AF have greater impairment and worse QoL than male referents. The mechanisms for sex differences remain ambiguous.HypothesisWe hypothesized that social factors may explain sex differences in the patient experience of AF.MethodsWe assessed sex, demographics, medical history, and AF treatment in individuals with AF receiving care in an ambulatory setting. We measured QoL using the AF Effect on QualiTy of Life (AFEQT) instrument to obtain composite and domain scores (daily activity, symptoms, treatment concerns, treatment satisfaction; range 0-100; higher scores indicating superior QoL). We related sex to QoL with multivariable regression including demographics, clinical, and social factors (reported annual income, education level and health literacy as assessed by the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults).ResultsIn 319 individuals with AF (age 72±10, 45% women, 18% CHF, 71% HTN, 24% DM), we observed significant differences in QoL by sex. Women reported inferior composite AFEQT scores (73.8±18 vs. 78.5±17, p=0.014), symptom domain (82.5±18 vs. 87.9±16, p=0.002), and treatment domain (76.6±20 vs. 80.7±20, p=0.048) scores. These differences remained significant even after adjustment for age, race, clinical characteristics, and social factors including income, education, and health literacy.ConclusionsWe found that sex was strongly associated with QoL in this cohort of AF patients with women reporting lower levels of QoL. However, even after adjusting for key social factors including income, education, and health literacy, the differences remained significant. Further research is essential to understand the mechanism by which sex differences relate to QoL and adverse outcomes in AF.