Does perceived stress increase the risk of atrial fibrillation? A population-based cohort study in Denmark.

BACKGROUND: Psychological stress is associated with increased risk of acute cardiovascular diseases, as myocardial infarction. We recently found a higher risk of atrial fibrillation following an acute stressful life event, but it remains unknown whether this also applies to common and less acute stress exposures. METHODS: We investigated the risk of incident atrial fibrillation in people with high levels of perceived stress by following a population-based cohort of 114,337 participants from the Danish National Health Survey from 2010 to 2014. The survey holds information on lifestyle factors and perceived stress measured by Cohen's 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). We obtained information on atrial fibrillation, comorbidities and socioeconomic status from Danish nationwide registers. We identified 2172 persons with a first episode of atrial fibrillation during 424,839 person-years of follow-up. The hazard ratio (HR) of atrial fibrillation with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated with Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The risk of atrial fibrillation increased with increasing PSS score; persons in the highest perceived stress quintile had 28% (95% CI, 12%-46%) higher risk of atrial fibrillation compared with persons in the lowest perceived stress quintile. However, the association disappeared when adjusting for comorbidities, socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors; HR was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.88-1.16) when comparing persons in the highest and the lowest perceived stress quintile. CONCLUSIONS: This large population-based cohort study did not reveal a higher risk of atrial fibrillation among persons with a high degree of perceived stress after adjustment for participants' baseline characteristics.

[Diagnostic bias].

Diagnostic bias is when biased considerations along with inadequate individual thought patterns result in a misdiagnosis. It is a constant and challenging issue in all medical specialties. There is evidence that knowledge of diagnostic bias will enhance physicians' diagnostic abilities. This review finds that there are several effective strategies to reduce the risk of diagnostic bias. Cognitive models such as dual-process-theory and tools such as metacognition can help the clinician in their assessment of the patient.

[Workup of dysphagia in Denmark].

This review is about dysphagia, which is a collective term for all types of difficulty in swallowing. The causes behind are numerous, and the symptoms can be divided into oropharyngeal and oesophageal dysphagia. In the elderly population, the symptoms result in a thorough investigation, as it may be the first sign of underlying malignant disease. If malignant disease is not confirmed, the patient may be referred to the initial doctor. It is therefore important to know, that there is a large range of aetiologies and investigative possibilities of non-malignant dysphagia.

Long-term risk of atrial fibrillation after the death of a partner.

OBJECTIVES: Severe psychological stress is generally associated with an increased risk of acute cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, but it remains unknown whether it also applies to atrial fibrillation. We conducted a population-based case-control study using nationwide Danish health registers to examine the risk of atrial fibrillation after the death of a partner. METHODS: From 1995 through 2014, we identified 88 612 cases with a hospital diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and 886 120 age-matched and sex-matched controls based on risk-set sampling. The conditional logistic regression model was used to calculate adjusted ORs of atrial fibrillation with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Partner bereavement was experienced by 17 478 cases and 168 940 controls and was associated with a transiently higher risk of atrial fibrillation; the risk was highest 8-14 days after the loss (1.90; 95% CI 1.34 to 2.69), after which it gradually declined. One year after the loss, the risk was almost the same as in the non-bereaved population. Overall, the OR of atrial fibrillation within 30 days after bereavement was 1.41 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.70), but it tended to be higher in persons below the age of 60 years (2.34; 95% CI 1.02 to 5.40) and in persons whose partner had a low predicted mortality 1 month before the death, that is, ≤5 points on the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (1.57; 95% CI 1.13 to 2.17). CONCLUSIONS: The severely stressful life event of losing a partner was followed by a transiently increased risk of atrial fibrillation lasting for 1 year, especially for the least predicted losses.