Prevalence of atrial fibrillation among Swedish adults participating in the general population study EpiHealth.

Abstract

Objectives. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and identify its associated comorbidities in adults aged 45 years and older, using data from the Swedish general population study EpiHealth. Design. In a cross-sectional design, data of health history, lifestyle factors, anthropometric measurement, and 1-lead ECG recordings from participants in the EpiHealth study were linked to data from the Swedish Patient Registry. Results. Among the 22,616 participants (56.2% women), the overall prevalence of AF was 3.9%, of which 0.3% were newly diagnosed cases identified by single 1-lead ECG at cohort examination. AF prevalence was higher in men than in women across all age groups and increased with age, reaching 17.2% among men aged 75 years and older. Participants with AF had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities compared to those without AF. Conclusions. The findings highlight the increasing prevalence of AF with advancing age and its higher occurrence in men compared to women. The screening-detected prevalence of AF of 0.3% among participants in this general population study suggests that simple 1-lead ECG could be a manageable approach to screen for AF. The strong association between AF and cardiovascular comorbidities emphasizes the need for management strategies to address this condition, particularly in older adults.