Study Finds Rising Trends in Obesity-Related Cardiac Tachyarrhythmia Deaths

A novel study shows a rising trend in cardiac tachyarrhythmia deaths related to obesity. The findings were presented at ACC.25.

“Obesity raises the risk of cardiac tachyarrhythmias. Despite innovations in arrhythmia and obesity treatments, population-level data on current trends in obesity-related cardiac tachyarrhythmia deaths remain scarce,” the investigators noted.

The investigators queried the CDC WONDER database and analyzed 4,103 obesity-related tachyarrhythmia deaths among patients older than 25 years from 2001 to 2020. The underlying causes of mortality in this analysis were defined as cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular arrhythmias, with obesity contributing. The researchers calculated age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 1,000,000 and assessed trends using annual percent change (APC) estimates.

The study found that the overall AAMR increased from 0.41 in 2001 to 1.75 in 2020 (APC +7.8%). The investigators noted that the increase in rates of death due to cardiac tachyarrhythmias was markedly higher among patients with obesity than among those without obesity (535.5% vs 62.4%). Men had a higher AAMR than women (0.99 vs 0.83). Non-Hispanic (NH) White patients had the highest AAMR (1.03), followed by NH Black patients (0.97), NH American Indians (0.92), Hispanic patients (0.39), and NH Asian patients (0.16). Also, the findings showed that the Midwest region had the highest AAMR (1.12). The AAMR in rural regions was higher than that in urban areas (1.31 vs 0.83).

The researchers concluded that with “significant demographic discrepancies, targeted healthcare policies are imperative to meet the specific needs of this population.”

Yeo Y, et al. The heavy heart: trends of obesity-related cardiac tachyarrhythmia deaths in the United States. Presented at: American College of Cardiology 2025; March 29-31, 2025; Chicago, IL.