Does a cancer diagnosis increase the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation in the general adult population?
A diagnosis of cancer is independently associated with a significantly increased risk of developing new-onset atrial fibrillation, particularly within the first 90 days but persisting up to 5 years.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of both atrial fibrillation (AF) and malignancies are increasing in the elderly, but incidences of new onset AF in different cancer subtypes are not well described.The objectives of this study were therefore to determine the incidence of AF in different cancer subtypes and to examine the association of cancer and future AF. METHODS: Using national databases, the Danish general population was followed from 2000 until 2012. Every individual aged > 18 years and with no history of cancer or AF prior to study start was included. Incidence rates of new onset AF were identified and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of AF in cancer patients were calculated in an adjusted Poisson regression model. RESULTS: = 1.12 (CI 1.09-1.15). CONCLUSIONS: In this nationwide cohort study we observed that all major cancer subtypes were associated with an increased incidence of AF. Further, cancer and AF might be independently associated.
Jakobsen et al. (2019) studied this question.