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Review
. 2008 Jan;92(1):17-40, ix.
doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2007.09.002.

Status of the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation

William B Kannel  1 , Emelia J Benjamin
Affiliations
Review

Status of the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation

William B Kannel et al. Med Clin North Am. 2008 Jan.

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF), an increasingly common dysrhythmia, is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality. Currently in the United States, approximately 2.3 million people are diagnosed with AF and, based on the census, this number may rise to 5.6 million by 2050. Risk factors for AF include advancing age and cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. The chief hazard of AF is embolic stroke, which is increased four- to fivefold, assuming great importance in advanced age when it becomes a dominant factor. AF is associated with about a doubling of mortality.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Risk of Atrial Fibrillation by Parental Atrial Fibrillation Status: Framingham Offspring Cohort
Figure 2
Figure 2
5-Year Stroke/Death Risk in Atrial Fibrillation Framingham Study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kannel WB, Abbott RD, Savage DD, et al. Epidemiologic features of chronic atrial fibrillation: the Framingham Study. N Engl J Med. 1982;306:1018–1022. - PubMed
    1. Benjamin EJ, Wolf PA, D’Agostino RB, Silbershatz H, et al. Impact of atrial fibrillation on risk of death: the Framingham study. Circulation. 1999;98:946–52. - PubMed
    1. Wolf PA, Abbot RD, Kannel WB. Atrial fibrillation as independent risk factor for stroke: the Framingham study. Stroke. 1991;22:983–8. - PubMed
    1. Bialy D, Lehnmann MH, Schumacher DN, et al. Hospitalization for arrhythmias in the United States. Importance of atrial fribrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1992;19:41A. Abstract.
    1. Wolf PA, Benjamin EJ, Belanger AJ, et al. Secular trends in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation: the Framingham study. Am Heart J. 1996;131:790–5. - PubMed

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