NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In a study of nearly 7000 men, large body size at age 20 years and subsequent weight gain were both identified as independent predictors of atrial fibrillation.
According to the report in the March 20th online issue of the European Heart Journal, men in the highest quartile of body surface area at 20 years were twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation as those in the lowest quartile.
“Atrial fibrillation proved to be significantly more common both among those men who were big during their youth, as well as among those who gained a considerable amount of weight later on in life,” lead author Dr. Annika Rosengren, from Sahlgrenska Academy, Goteberg, Sweden, said in a statement.
Prior research has established obesity as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation, which is thought to be due, in part, to a link between body mass index and atrial volume. Whether other body size factors also influenced the risk was unclear.
The current analysis included 6903 men who underwent a medical evaluation between 1970 and 1973 at a mean age of 51.5 years, as part of the Swedish Primary Prevention Study. During a maximum follow-up period of 34.3 years, 1253 of the men (18.2%) were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
Consistent with previous reports, elevated body mass index in midlife was a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. In addition, as noted, body surface area at age 20 and weight gain from age 20 to midlife were also positively associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation.
Relative to the first quartile of body surface area, the second, third, and fourth quartiles were associated with hazard ratios for atrial fibrillation of 1.47, 1.66, and 2.22, respectively, the report shows.
“Since both weight and height are increasing among young people, it’s quite likely that atrial fibrillation will become more common when today’s young men reach their 60s and 70s, particularly if the tendency to put on several kilos later on in life continues,” Dr. Rosengren noted.
Reference:
Eur Heart J 2009.
