To find out various pre-disposing conditions and clinical presentations amongst patients attending cardiology/ medicine

Abstract

Background & Method: This study was conducted with an aim to find out various pre-disposing conditions and clinical presentations amongst patients attending cardiology/ medicine with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in the setting of a tertiary level university teaching hospital the MGM Medical College & Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Hospital in Indore, M.P. The study database was accumulated by prospectively registering patients presenting to the outpatient department of the Department of Medicine, the Cardiology Clinic and the ICCU of the hospital with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, either chronic or paroxysmal. Result: In our study majority of the patients presented with heart failure (51%) followed by myocardial infarction (11%), and cerebrovascular accidents (9%). There were 3 patients presented with fast ventricular response, 2 patients had acute chest infection and 2 patients had syncopal attacks. One patient presented with bleeding due to warfarin overdose and one with peripheral embolism. 12% of patients were symptomatic during presentation. Other presentations are Infective endocarditis, Ventricular tachycardia, acute febrile illness, diabetes, Koch’s abdomen, aluminum phosphide poisoning and upper respiratory tract infection. Conclusion: To conclude, we found that majority of the patients with AF in the central Indian population presented with heart failure. Other major clinical presentations were myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents. We found that valvular heart disease mainly the mitral valvular involvement as the most common pre-disposing condition for atrial fibrillation in this part of the country. Other co morbidities were heart failure and hypertension which was consistent with the global data.