Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in hospitalized patients over 40 years old: ten-year data from the Peoples Hospital of Peking University

OBJECTIVE: The risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) are complicated and multifactorial. In the present study we investigated the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in China. METHODS: The inpatient medical records of patients over 40 years with AF in the People's Hospital of Peking University from October 1998 to September 2008 were retrospectively analysed in the present study. All patients were divided into AF and non-AF groups. Their clinical characteristics were compared and the risk factors were also investigated. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis demonstrated that AF was independently associated with rheumatic heart disease (odds ratio (OR), 16.53; 95% confidence interval (CI), 8.66-31.54; P < 0.0 1), congestive heart failure (OR, 5.13; 95% CI, 3.14-8.37; P < 0.01), hyperthyroidism (OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.71-4.09; P < 0.01), age (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.46-2.07; P < 0.01), low serum albumin (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.43-2.84; P < 0.01), hypertension (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.22-1.80; P < 0.01), high serum uric acid (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.18-1.70; P < 0.01), male sex (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.52-0.74; P < 0.01), and idiopathic cardiomyopathy (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.06-3.71; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for prevalence of AF in China mainly include rheumatic heart disease, heart failure, hyperthyroidism, hypertension, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, older age and male sex. Furthermore, an independent relationship between low serum albumin, high serum uric acid and AF was also confirmed.