National rates and trends of tobacco and substance use disorders among atrial fibrillation hospitalizations.
Rajkumar Doshi, Mihir Dave, Monil Majmundar and 6 others
PMID 33359929WHAT IT FOUND
Tobacco use disorder was documented in 23.46% of U.S. atrial fibrillation hospitalizations, and substance, alcohol, and drug use disorders rose from 2007 to 2015 across age groups.
Key findings
01Among 3,631,507 atrial fibrillation hospitalizations, tobacco use disorder was documented in 23.46%, substance use disorder in 5.1%, alcohol use disorder in 4.29%, and drug use disorder in 1.17%.
02Documented tobacco, substance, alcohol, and drug use disorders increased from 2007 to 2015, including in all age groups.
03Compared with adults aged 18-35, older groups generally had lower odds of these disorders, except adults 51-65 had higher odds of tobacco use disorder.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used hospital billing codes, so substance use disorders may have been miscoded or missed, and it could not measure amount or duration of use. It included only AF hospitalizations, not people diagnosed with AF in clinics, so it describes hospitalized AF patients rather than all AF patients. A patient could have more than one substance use disorder, but the analysis did not account for combinations. Trend analyses were not adjusted for demographic differences. Unmeasured lifestyle and cardiovascular factors may have influenced the observed associations. The database structure changed after 2012, although the authors used recommended trend weights.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists the work as supported by NIH extramural research and gives no author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tobacco or substance use caused AF hospitalizations or that screening changes outcomes. The study reports coded prevalence and trends in hospitalizations, not tested treatment effects.