Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Dermoscopy Aids in the Diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
05:39

Dermoscopy Aids in the Diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus

Published on: May 16, 2025

597

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation: a nationwide, population-based study

Sang Yup Lim1, Eun Hui Bae2, Kyung-Do Han3

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Korea.

Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology
|April 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) significantly increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), particularly in younger patients. This increased risk of AF in SLE patients is linked to higher mortality rates, underscoring the need for cardiac monitoring.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Cardiac involvement is common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affecting over half of patients.
  • Large-scale data on atrial fibrillation (AF) prevalence in SLE is limited.
  • Understanding AF incidence and outcomes in SLE is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  • To assess the clinical significance and mortality associated with AF in SLE patients.
  • To identify risk factors for AF development in the SLE population.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort (2008-2014).
  • Included 21,143 patients with SLE and 105,715 age- and sex-matched controls without prior AF.
  • Follow-up until 2015 for AF incidence and mortality.

Main Results:

  • The incidence of new-onset AF was significantly higher in SLE patients (2.27%) compared to controls (0.59%).
  • SLE was an independent risk factor for AF development (HR, 2.84; 95% CI, 2.50-3.23), especially in patients under 40.
  • AF in SLE patients was associated with increased mortality compared to both controls with AF and SLE patients without AF.

Conclusions:

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) development.
  • Younger SLE patients without prior AF are at a higher risk, necessitating cardiac assessment.
  • AF development in SLE patients is linked to a significantly increased risk of mortality.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Transesophageal Atrial Burst Pacing for Atrial Fibrillation Induction in Rats05:12

Transesophageal Atrial Burst Pacing for Atrial Fibrillation Induction in Rats

Published on: February 14, 2022

3.8K
The bm12 Inducible Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus SLE in C57BL/6 Mice12:04

The bm12 Inducible Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus SLE in C57BL/6 Mice

Published on: November 1, 2015

18.6K

Related Concept Videos

Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection01:26

Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection

The hosts' susceptibility to infection depends on several factors. The integrity of the skin and mucous membranes helps protect the body against microbial attacks. When the skin is altered, the chance of infection, limb loss, and even death increases.
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...
13.3K
Amyloid Fibrils03:03

Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins.  Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils. 
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen.   In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...
11.7K
Amyloid Fibrils03:03

Amyloid Fibrils

6.4K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
16.7K
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
28.2K
What is Population Genetics?01:25

What is Population Genetics?

A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.
64.6K