Background: Inflammation plays a role in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). Thus, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may increase the risk of AF. Elevated Proinflammatory markers such as interleukin (IL)-6 in IBD have been closely associated with AF. Methods: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for all subjects with discharge diagnosis of IBD (Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn’s disease) with or without AF as primary or secondary diagnosis via ICD 9 codes during the period from 2002-2014. All analyses were performed with the use of SAS (version 9.4) Results: From 2002-2014 there were total 21950 discharges of Ulcerative Colitis (UC) patients with AF and 24726 discharges of Crohn’s Disease (CD) patients with AF, constituting 9% & 5.7% discharges respectively. Most of the patients with AF were Caucasians (90% in UC & 91.5% in CD), with age above 65 (81% in UC & 74% in CD), males in UC (51.4%) and females in CD (53%). The odds of discharge to skilled nursing facility and in-hospital mortality was more with AF in IBD. There was a rising incidence of AF in IBD (6.8% of UC discharges & 3.9% of CD discharges in 2002 to 11.4% of UC & 7.6% of CD discharges in 2014) as well as median length of stay and the median cost of care. The In-hospital mortality remained stable over this period in patients of AF with IBD. Obesity, Renal failure, Hypothyroidism, HTN, CAD, CHF, Valvular disorders, PVD and chronic pulmonary disease were the significant predictors of AF in IBD on Multivariate regression analysis. Conclusions: This is the first analysis that assesses the national disease burden and outcomes of AF in IBD. The incidence of AF in IBD is rising particularly in UC. There is significant burden of AF in IBD, which is associated with significant morbidity and increased cost of care. The treatment strategies for AF risk reduction in IBD should be explored further.
