European heart journal
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European heart journal · Oct 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyThe Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial: 11-year mortality follow-up of the lipid-lowering arm in the U.K.
The aim of this study was to determine the outcome benefits in those originally assigned atorvastatin in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-8 years after closure of the lipid-lowering arm (LLA) of the trial (ASCOT-LLA) among the U.K. population. ⋯ Legacy effects of those originally assigned atorvastatin may contribute to long-term benefits on all-cause mortality. An explanation for long-term benefits on non-CV deaths has not been established.
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European heart journal · Oct 2011
Increased risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with coeliac disease: a nationwide cohort study.
Inflammatory markers are established risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF), but the role of autoimmune diseases is unknown. The aim of the study was to examine the association between coeliac disease (CD) and AF in a large cohort of patients with biopsy-verified CD. ⋯ Coeliac disease affects 1-2% of the Western population. Our results indicate that patients with coeliac disease, verified by intestinal biopsy, are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation. This observation is consistent with previous findings that elevation of inflammatory markers predicts atrial fibrillation. Additional studies are needed to clarify the mechanistic link between atrial fibrillation and autoimmune diseases such as coeliac disease.