Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy Clinical Course and Predictors of Arrhythmic Risk

This study sought to describe the clinical course of ARVC and occurrence of life-threatening arrhythmic events (LAE) and cardiovascular mortality; identify risk factors associated with increased LAE risk; and define the response to therapy.MethodsWe determined the clinical course of 301 consecutive patients with ARVC using the Kaplan-Meier method adjusted to avoid the bias of delayed entry. Predictors of LAE over 5.8 years of follow-up were determined with Cox multivariable analysis. Treatment efficacy was assessed comparing LAE rates during matched time intervals.ResultsA first LAE occurred in 1.5 per 100 person-years between birth and age 20 years, in 4.0 per 100 person-years between ages 21 and 40 years, and in 2.4 per 100 person-years between ages 41 and 60 years. Cumulative probability of a first LAE at follow-up was 14% at 5 years, 23% at 10 years, and 30% at 15 years. Higher risk of LAE was predicted by  atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.38; p = 0.002), syncope (HR: 3.36; p 
Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research