Associations between obesity parameters and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation and ischaemic stroke in the different age groups

Objective Obesity and aging are important predisposing factors to atrial fibrillation (AF) and ischaemic stroke (IS). However, limited data comprehensively evaluated the relationships between obesity measurements and AF and IS in different ages. Methods A total of 9,432,332 adults from the Korean National Health Insurance Service Database were included. The study population was categorized into the six age subgroups by an increase every decade from the twenties. We evaluated AF and IS risk according to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in the different age groups. Results During a mean follow-up of 8.2 ± 1.0 years, BMI-AF presented a J-shaped association across ages. The highest hazard ratio (HR) of the BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 group was observed in subjects aged 30–39 years [HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.63–1.98, p < 0.001]. Underweight adults over 60 years also presented an increased AF risk. Incident IS risk increased in those with BMI over the normal range in early and midlife, but the association became obscured in adults aged > 60 years. Among the BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 groups, subjects aged 20–29 years presented the highest risk of IS [HR 3.00, 95% CI (2.34–3.84), p < 0.001]. Overall, WC-AF and WC-IS showed positive linear correlations, but the WC-IS association was weak in subjects aged ≥ 40 years. Conclusion The higher risks of AF and IS according to an increment of BMI and WC were most apparent among the young ages. The association between obesity measurements and IS was not significantly above the midlife. Weight management in the young and integrated risk factor management in the elderly are warranted.