Sex differences in atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the Kerala-AF registry

Background

Much data informing sex differences in atrial fibrillation (AF) comes from Western cohorts. In this analysis, we describe sex differences in Kerala, India, using the Kerala-AF registry—the largest AF registry from the Indian subcontinent.

Methods

Patients aged ≥18 years were recruited from 53 hospitals across Kerala. Patients were compared for demographics, treatments, and 12-month outcomes, including major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and bleeding.

Results

Male patients were more likely to have a smoking and/or alcohol history and had more ischaemic heart disease (46.2% vs. 25.5%; p < 0.001). Female patients had more valvular AF (35.1% vs. 18.0%; p < 0.001), and more use of calcium-channel blockers (23.3% vs. 16.5%; p < 0.001) or digoxin (39.6% vs. 28.5%; p < 0.001). Almost one in four patients were not anticoagulated despite raised CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores. 12-month MACE outcomes did not differ by sex (male: 30.2% vs. female: 29.4%; p = 0.685), though bleeding events were more common in male patients (2.4% vs. 1.3%; p = −0.038), driven by minor bleeding (1.2% vs. 0.5%).

Conclusion

In this large AF cohort from India, male patients had a higher prevalence of ischaemic heart disease, smoking, and alcohol use, while female patients had a higher prevalence of valvular heart disease. MACE did not differ by sex, though bleeding was more common in males. Almost a quarter of patients were not anticoagulated despite raised thromboembolic risk.