Table 2.

Associations of Biomarkers of Inflammation With Adverse Outcome Events

Outcome	Events	Rate Per 100 Person‐Years	Marker	Univariable HR (95% CI)	P Value	Adjusted HR (95% CI)	P Value
Hospitalization for heart failure	447	3.04	hs‐CRP	1.46 (1.33–1.60)	<0.001	1.22 (1.11–1.34)	<0.001
			IL‐6	1.80 (1.67–1.93)	<0.001	1.48 (1.35–1.62)	<0.001
All‐cause mortality	432	2.80	hs‐CRP	1.62 (1.48–1.78)	<0.001	1.40 (1.27–1.54)	<0.001
			IL‐6	1.97 (1.84–2.11)	<0.001	1.67 (1.53–1.81)	<0.001
Cardiovascular death	264	1.71	hs‐CRP	1.54 (1.37–1.73)	<0.001	1.31 (1.16–1.49)	<0.001
			IL‐6	1.97 (1.81–2.15)	<0.001	1.65 (1.49–1.84)	<0.001
Ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death	440	2.93	hs‐CRP	1.42 (1.29–1.55)	<0.001	1.27 (1.15–1.39)	<0.001
			IL‐6	1.71 (1.59–1.85)	<0.001	1.46 (1.34–1.60)	<0.001
Ischemic stroke or systemic embolism	121	0.80	hs‐CRP	1.22 (1.03–1.46)	0.026	1.21 (1.01–1.45)	0.04
			IL‐6	1.33 (1.13–1.57)	0.001	1.19 (0.99–1.44)	0.07

Because of positively skewed distribution of plasma levels of both hs‐CRP and IL‐6, a logarithmic transformation was performed. Hazard ratios and 95% CIs are shown as per increase in 1SD of log‐transformed concentrations of hs‐CRP and IL‐6, respectively. Multivariable analyses were adjusted for age, sex, history of heart failure, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prior stroke or transient ischemic attack, history of coronary artery disease, estimated glomerular filtration rate as per Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula, body mass index, smoking status, anticoagulation use, and study cohort (BEAT‐AF [Basel Atrial Fibrillation] or Swiss‐AF [Swiss Atrial Fibrillation]). Observations in model: 3767 (99.6% complete cases) for hs‐CRP and 3667 (96.9% complete cases) for IL‐6. For patients excluded from the analyses, plasma levels of the respective biomarkers were missing. HR indicates hazard ratio; hs‐CRP, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein; and IL‐6, interleukin‐6.