Incident frailty and cognitive impairment by heart failure status in older patients with atrial fibrillation: the SAGE-AF study

 Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) frequently co-occur in older individuals. Among patients with AF, HF increases risks for stroke and death, but the associations between HF and incident cognition and physical impairment remain unknown. We aimed to examine the cross-sectional and prospective associations between HF, cognition, and frailty among older patients with AF.

 Methods The SAGE-AF (Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Elements in AF) study enrolled 1244 patients with AF (mean age 76 years, 48% women) from five practices in Massachusetts and Georgia. HF at baseline was identified from electronic health records using ICD-9/10 codes. At baseline and 1-year, frailty was assessed by Cardiovascular Health Survey score and cognition was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

 Results Patients with prevalent HF (n = 463, 37.2%) were older, less likely to be non-Hispanic white, had less education, and had greater cardiovascular comorbidity burden and higher CHA₂DS₂VASC and HAS-BLED scores than patients without HF (all P's < 0.01). In multivariable adjusted regression models, HF (present vs. absent) was associated with both prevalent frailty (adjusted odds ratio aOR: 2.38, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.64-3.46) and incident frailty at 1 year (aOR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.37-4.51). HF was also independently associated with baseline cognitive impairment (aOR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.22-2.11), but not with developing cognitive impairment at 1 year (aOR 1.04, 95%CI: 0.64-1.70).

 Conclusions Among ambulatory older patients with AF, the co-existence of HF identifies individuals with physical and cognitive impairments who are at higher short-term risk for becoming frail. Preventive strategies to this vulnerable subgroup merit consideration.