Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and atrial fibrillation (AF), yet data on the clinical outcomes and management of AF in RA patients remain limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of RA on AF-related outcomes and treatment strategies. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX US collaborative network database, including adult patients diagnosed with AF between 2015 and 2025. Patients were divided into two cohorts based on the presence or absence of RA. Propensity score matching was performed to balance baseline characteristics. Results: A total of 33,922 RA-AF patients and 33,922 non-RA AF patients were analyzed after matching. RA-AF patients exhibited a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (24.5% vs. 21.0%, OR: 1.216, p

Key words: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiovascular Risk, Anticoagulation, Comorbidity.