COVID-19 vaccination is associated with reduced risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation following COVID-19 infection

1. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a reduced 24-month risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation/flutter after COVID-19 infection.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

COVID-19 infection has been linked with cardiovascular complications such as new-onset atrial fibrillation/flutter (NOAF). While there is evidence of the COVID-19 vaccine being protective against the development of long COVID, its potential protective effect against long-term NOAF risk after COVID-19 infection is unclear. This study thus examined the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on reducing the long-term risk of NOAF in patients after COVID-19 recovery. This retrospective cohort study used data from the TriNetX Research Network and included adults >18 years with a first recorded diagnosis of COVID-19 between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. Patients were split into a vaccine group and a control (unvaccinated) group. The primary outcome was NOAF incidence at 24 months, and secondary outcomes were NOAF incidence at 1, 6 and 12 months. In total, 477,500 patients were included in the study, with 238,750 propensity matched into the vaccine group (mean [SD] age, 52.5 [18.6]; 148,934 [62.4%] female), and control group (52.3 [18.6], 150193 [62.9%] female). The NOAF incidence at 24-months was lower in the vaccine group compared to the control group (1.91% vs 2.18%; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.78–0.85), even after excluding patients with severe or critical COVID-19 illness (1.51% vs. 1.78%; HR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.76-0.83). A protective effect was also observed at 1 month (HR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.67–0.79), 6 months (HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.66–0.75), and 12 months (HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.73–0.81). Overall, this study found that COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a reduced 24-month risk of NOAF after COVID-19 infection, highlighting its potential cardioprotective benefits beyond preventing acute illness.

Click here to read this study in PLOS One

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