Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
Risk factors between patients with lone and non-lone atrial fibrillation
Sung Ho Lee1, Seung-Jung Park, Kyeongmin Byeon
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) is linked to male gender, family history, and alcohol/caffeine intake in Korean adults. These factors are key indicators for identifying individuals at higher risk for LAF.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) is a common arrhythmia with multifactorial etiology.
- Previous studies suggest various clinical and genetic factors contribute to LAF risk.
- Understanding specific risk factors in diverse populations is crucial for targeted prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify clinical and lifestyle risk factors associated with LAF in a Korean population.
- To analyze the independent predictors of LAF using multivariate analysis.
- To compare risk factor profiles between LAF and non-LAF patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of the KORean Atrial Fibrillation (KORAF) registry data.
- Inclusion of 2,133 adult patients with available risk factor data.
- Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess risk factors for LAF.
Main Results:
- Male gender, family history of AF, current alcohol use, and frequent caffeinated beverage consumption were independently associated with LAF.
- LAF patients were significantly more likely to be male, smokers, alcohol drinkers, and frequent caffeine consumers.
- Family history of AF showed a strong independent association with LAF (OR, 3.12).
Conclusions:
- Male gender, family history of AF, alcohol consumption, and frequent caffeine intake are significant independent risk factors for LAF in Korean patients.
- These findings highlight the importance of lifestyle modifications and genetic predisposition in LAF development.
- Further research can explore the interplay of these factors in LAF pathogenesis.
Abstract:
Clinical factors such as tall stature, lean body mass, obstructive sleep apnea, alcohol or caffeine, smoking, endurance sports, and genetic factors are proposed as risk factors for lone atrial fibrillation (LAF). The KORAF (KORean Atrial Fibrillation) study is a retrospective multicenter registry that enrolled 3,570 consecutive atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Data on risk factors were available for 2,133 patients, of whom 398 (18.7%) were identified as having LAF. In univariate analysis, patients with LAF were more likely to be men (82.4% vs 59.8%, P < 0.001) and current smokers (25.9% vs 15.6%, P < 0.01), alcohol drinkers (55.3% vs 31.2%, P < 0.01) and frequent consumers of caffeinated beverages (> 2 cups/day) (31.7% vs 19.3%, P < 0.01), and have a family history of AF (9.0% vs 2.6%, P < 0.001) than the non-LAF patients. Multivariate analysis showed that male gender (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.61-3.27, P < 0.01), family history of AF (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.91-5.12, P < 0.01), current alcohol use (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.46-2.76, P < 0.01), and frequent caffeinated beverage consumption (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.20-2.29, P < 0.01) were independently associated with LAF. In Korean patients, LAF is more closely associated with male gender, family history of AF, current alcohol and frequent caffeinated beverage consumption than non-LAF.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
01:25ECG Interpretation of Arrhythmias II: Atrial, Junctional and Ventricular Arrhythmias
01:28Dysrhythmias II: Classification of Tachyarrhythmias
01:30Dysrhythmias V: Evaluating Dysrhythmias
01:18Dysrhythmias IV: Characteristics of Bradyarrhythmias
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies