Systematic Review: More Smoking Linked with More Atrial Fibrillation

By DocWire News Editors - Last Updated: April 12, 2023

Smoking was associated in a dose-dependent fashion with increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The study authors looked at 29 prospective studies in the analysis, and estimated summary relative risks using a random effects model. Relative risk for current smokers was 1.32 (95% CI 1.12–1.56), 1.09 for former smokers (95% CI 1.00–1.18), and 1.21 (95% CI 1.14–1.56). The also reported that the summarized relative risk was 1.14 (95% CI 1.10–1.20) per 10 cigarettes per day and 1.16 (95% CI 1.09–1.25) per 10 pack-years, with no evidence for a non-linear association for cigarettes per day. 

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“If you smoke, stop smoking and if you don’t smoke, don’t start,” study researcher Dr. Dagfinn Aune, associate professor at Bjørknes University College in Oslo, Norway and postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London, UK, said in a news report. “We found that smokers are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but the risk is reduced considerably in those who quit.” 

Check out more in the Elderly and Afib here

Source: European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 

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