Gastrointestinal bleed mortality disparities in patients with atrial fibrillation: A cross-sectional analysis 1999-2020.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is often encountered among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) due to the use of anticoagulation. This study assesses disparities in GIB-related mortality among decedents with AF in the United States.

Methods: GIB mortality data in patients with AF from 1999 to 2020 was queried from the CDC database. Decedent demographic information (age, sex, race and ethnicity, and geographic residence) was obtained from death certificates. We calculated age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) through the direct method and estimated the annual percentage change (APC) in mortality using log-linear regression models.

Results: From 11,209 GIB-related deaths among AF decedents, we observed an increase in AAMR from 0.12 in 1999 to 0.21 in 2020, particularly during the 2009 to 2020 period (APC +4.8,  < .001). Disproportionate mortality rates were noted in males (AAMR 0.18) and White populations (AAMR 0.15) as compared to females (AAMR 0.13) and Black populations (AAMR 0.10), respectively. Rural regions also reported higher mortality (AAMR 0.18) than urban areas (AAMR 0.14). Mortality shifts in urban regions remained stagnant from 1999 to 2009 (APC -0.15,  = .806) followed by an increase from 2009 to 2020 (APC +4.83,  < .001). However, mortality increased consistently from 1999 to 2020 in rural regions (APC +4.08,  < .001). The Northeast US exhibited the highest mortality rate (AAMR 0.18), followed by the Midwest (AAMR 0.16), West (AAMR 0.14), and South (AAMR 0.13).

Conclusions: Disparities in GIB mortality among AF decedents were identified. These findings accentuate the need for targeted interventions to mitigate GIB risks in vulnerable subgroups.