Left Atrial Enlargement Identifies Risk of Stroke Independent of Atrial Fibrillation
5 affiliations
- 1Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet
- 2Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre
- 3Copenhagen University Hospital – Herlev and Gentofte Hospital
- 4University of Copenhagen
- 5Technical University of Denmark
Abstract
Background Left atrial (LA) enlargement has been proposed to increase stroke risk independent of atrial fibrillation (AF), but evidence accounting for AF over time is limited. We tested whether the association between LA enlargement and stroke persist independent of new‐onset AF. Methods In this observational study, participants from the Copenhagen General Population Study underwent cardiac computed tomography from 2010 through 2018 and were followed until December 2022. LA volume was indexed to body surface area. LA enlargement was defined using sex‐specific cutoffs. The primary outcome was incident stroke. Secondary outcomes were incident AF, heart failure, dementia, and all‐cause mortality. Individuals with baseline AF were excluded. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using cause‐specific Cox models with AF modeled as a time‐varying covariate. Results Among 10 024 individuals (mean age 60 years, 57% women), 684 (6.8%) had LA enlargement. Over a median follow‐up of 7.3 years stroke occurred in 356 individuals (3.6%). LA enlargement was associated with a higher absolute risk of stroke (11.1% versus 4.6%, risk difference 6.5% [95% CI, 2.4–10.6]) and an increased hazard (adjusted HR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.09–2.05]; P =0.013), which remained similar after adjustment for incident AF, and in separate models using the CHA 2 DS 2 ‐VA score and P‐wave terminal force in lead V1. LA enlargement was also associated with higher risk of AF (HR, 3.77 [95% CI, 3.00–4.73]) and heart failure (HR, 3.59 [95% CI, 2.54–5.06]) but not with dementia or all‐cause mortality. Conclusions LA enlargement was associated with incident stroke independent of incident AF, supporting LA enlargement as a marker of thromboembolic risk.
Related
- Association Between Left Atrial Enlargement and Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly Patients with Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction
- Atrial Cardiomyopathy and Ischemic Stroke: A Monitoring-Integrated Staging and Phenotyping Framework Beyond Atrial Fibrillation
- Stage 1 Registered Report: sex differences in anticoagulation and stroke outcomes among patients with atrial fibrillation: a registry-based cohort study
- 2026 Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) Guidelines (Part II) on Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation.
- Pathway Modeling of Genomic and Tissue-Specific Transcriptomic Architecture Identifies Personalized Mechanisms of Atrial Fibrillation Risk
BibTeX
@article{loft2026left,
title = {{Left Atrial Enlargement Identifies Risk of Stroke Independent of Atrial Fibrillation}},
author = {Jonas J. Loft and Jørgen T. Kühl and Michael H. C. Pham and Per E. Sigvardsen and Andreas F. Larsen and Børge G. Nordestgaard and Lars Køber and Mathias Lowes and Rasmus R. Paulsen and Klaus F. Kofoed},
journal = {Journal of the American Heart Association},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1161/jaha.126.053248},
url = {https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.126.053248},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Left Atrial Enlargement Identifies Risk of Stroke Independent of Atrial Fibrillation
AU - Jonas J. Loft
AU - Jørgen T. Kühl
AU - Michael H. C. Pham
AU - Per E. Sigvardsen
AU - Andreas F. Larsen
AU - Børge G. Nordestgaard
AU - Lars Køber
AU - Mathias Lowes
AU - Rasmus R. Paulsen
AU - Klaus F. Kofoed
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Journal of the American Heart Association
DO - 10.1161/jaha.126.053248
UR - https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.126.053248
AB - Background Left atrial (LA) enlargement has been proposed to increase stroke risk independent of atrial fibrillation (AF), but evidence accounting for AF over time is limited. We tested whether the association between LA enlargement and stroke persist independent of new‐onset AF. Methods In this observational study, participants from the Copenhagen General Population Study underwent cardiac computed tomography from 2010 through 2018 and were followed until December 2022. LA volume was indexed to body surface area. LA enlargement was defined using sex‐specific cutoffs. The primary outcome was incident stroke. Secondary outcomes were incident AF, heart failure, dementia, and all‐cause mortality. Individuals with baseline AF were excluded. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using cause‐specific Cox models with AF modeled as a time‐varying covariate. Results Among 10 024 individuals (mean age 60 years, 57% women), 684 (6.8%) had LA enlargement. Over a median follow‐up of 7.3 years stroke occurred in 356 individuals (3.6%). LA enlargement was associated with a higher absolute risk of stroke (11.1% versus 4.6%, risk difference 6.5% [95% CI, 2.4–10.6]) and an increased hazard (adjusted HR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.09–2.05]; P =0.013), which remained similar after adjustment for incident AF, and in separate models using the CHA 2 DS 2 ‐VA score and P‐wave terminal force in lead V1. LA enlargement was also associated with higher risk of AF (HR, 3.77 [95% CI, 3.00–4.73]) and heart failure (HR, 3.59 [95% CI, 2.54–5.06]) but not with dementia or all‐cause mortality. Conclusions LA enlargement was associated with incident stroke independent of incident AF, supporting LA enlargement as a marker of thromboembolic risk.
SN - 2047-9980
ER -