Epidemiology of atrial fibrillation from a developing country data from Lebanon AUBMC AF registry

Abstract

Objectives: In Lebanon, there are no updated data regarding the prevalence, incidence, and economic burden of atrial fibrillation population. We report our single center experience on the epidemiology of AF at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. Methods: We started the collection of data on patients with atrial fibrillation presenting at the American University of Beirut Medical Center [AUBMC] (Beirut, Lebanon) in 2015. Results: From 2015 to 2017, 103 patients with AF were included in the AUBMC AF Registry (57% men, 92% non-valvular etiology, 60% paroxysmal/25% persistent, 30% with coronary artery disease, 28% with diabetes, 72% with hypertension, 20% with congestive heart failure and 19% smokers). Our data showed that a large proportion of our patient population had a CHADS2 and CHA2DS-VASc scores greater than 2 and a significant proportion of patients with atrial fibrillation whose CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VaSc scores greater than 2 were not being treated with oral anticoagulation (OAC). Among patients on different OAC for stroke prevention, 32% are treated with vitamin K antagonist, 20% with dabigatran, 9% with apixaban, and around 39% with rivaroxaban. Conclusion: We describe our single center experience in developing an AF registry. There is a need for developing a national registry for patients with atrial fibrillation. This will help decision makers in assessing the needs of the population and intervening when necessary. Also, this could be helpful in improving AF research in Lebanon. © 2019 Lebanese Order of Physicians. All rights reserved.