Internal and emergency medicine
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The frequency of premature atrial complexes (PACs) has been related with atrial fibrillation (AF) occurrence and adverse prognosis. Research objective was to evaluate whether temporal patterns of PACs are directly associated with AF onset in pacemaker patients with continuous monitoring of the atrial rhythm. Overall, 193 pacemaker patients (49% female, 72 ± 9 years old), enrolled in a national registry, were analyzed. ⋯ Cox model predictive analysis showed that the risk of AF was significantly higher in patients with a relative increase of the daily PACs higher than 30% compared with PACs average number in ten preceding days [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 3.67 (2.40-5.59), p < 0.001]. PACs frequency increases in the 5 days preceding AF onset. A relative increase of the daily PACs is significantly associated with the risk of AF occurrence.
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Algeria, like all emerging countries, has been going through a health transition over the past 30 years or so, characterized by a drop in mortality rates, an increase in life expectancy and a change in the causes of death in favor of chronic non-communicable diseases. In the past, the country mainly faced infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera and malaria. The prevalence of the latter has been significantly reduced thanks to the many social health and vaccination programs undertaken by the health authorities. ⋯ According to the results of the latest national survey on the measurement of risk factors for non-communicable diseases (the Who StepWise approach), the prevalence of diabetes is close to 14.4% while the rate of obesity and overweight exceeds 50% of the population. High blood pressure has reached a prevalence rate of 23.6%. These diseases represent a real threat to our country's health, social and economic situation; they will lead to greater demands on health facilities and require more resources for intervention.