Risk Factors of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Its Relationship With Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) is a common complication in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OHCM). The risk factor of PH in patients with OHCM has not been fully elucidated, and even atrial fibrillation (AF) was considered a risk factor of PH. Thus, our study aimed to investigate risk factors of PH and the relationship between PH and AF in patients with OHCM. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 483 consecutive patients diagnosed with OHCM at Fuwai Hospital (Beijing, China) from January 2015 to December 2017. Clinical and echocardiographic parameters were compared between patients with and without PH. Results: Eighty-two (17.0%) patients were diagnosed with PH in this study. Compared to patients without PH, those with PH were significantly older, had a lower body mass index (BMI), were more likely to be female and more symptomatic [New York Heart Association Class 3 or 4 symptoms], and had a higher AF prevalence. A multivariate analysis indicated that AF was an independent risk factor of PH (odds ratio [OR] 2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-5.20, p = 0.042). Moreover, PH was independently associated with a higher AF incidence after adjusting for age and left atrial diameter (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.07-4.72, p = 0.034). Conclusion: AF was independently associated with PH in patients with OHCM. Further, PH was significantly associated with an increased risk of AF, which suggested that AF could aggravate PH and that PH may promote AF processes, forming a vicious circle.