Khalid Mahmood, Muhammad Arif Nadeem, Tariq Waseem, Tafazzul, Abdul Hafeez Khan.
A Study of Underlying Cardiac and Non-Cardiac Risk Factors in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation..
Ann King Edward Med Uni Jan ;5(2):199-1.

Atrial fibrillation (A Fib) is associated with high incidence of morbidity and mortality. Numerous cardiac and non-cardiac risk factors for A Fib have been identified. We evaluated different patients of A Fib to rind out both cardiac and non-cardiac risk factors for its occurrence. We studied 100 (44 males, 56 females) patients of A Fib and divided them into cardiac and non-cardiac groups. Eighty six (86%) patients (49 females, 37 males) were in cardiac group, out of which 49 (57%) had valvular heart disease (32 females, 17 males), 17 (20%) coronary heart disease (CAD) and 13 (15%) hypertension. Out of 14 (14%) patients of non-cardiac group 7 (50%) had lone A Fib and 7 (50%) had thyrotoxicosis, severe infection and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A Fib is the commonest chronic or recurrent arrhythmia whose incidence raised with age. Gender also affected it as female dominance was seen, consistent with other studies. Rheumatic heart- disease was observed the main risk factor as compared to Western World where CAD and hypertension dominate. Lone A Fib was seen in comparable number with international data. Early recognition and treatment of these risk factors may help to reduce the occurrence of atrial fibrillation and its associated sequalae.

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