Rural-Urban differences in Use of Rhythm Control Therapies in Patients with Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Finnish Nationwide Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT: Background: Rural-urban disparities have been reported in the access, utilization, and quality of healthcare. We aimed to assess whether use of antiarrhythmic therapies (AATs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) differs between those with rural and urban residence. Methods: The registry-based FinACAF cohort covers all patients with AF from all levels of care in Finland. Patients were divided into rural and urban categories and into urbanization degree tertiles based on their municipality of residence at the time of AF diagnosis. The primary outcome was the use of any AAT, including cardioversion, catheter ablation, and fulfilled antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) prescription. Results: We identified 177,529 patients (49.9% female, mean age 73.0 (SD13.0) years) with incide

SUBMITTER: Teppo K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9517432 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature