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Europace Advance Access published online on May 13, 2008
Europace, doi:10.1093/europace/eun124
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2008. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

REVIEW

New risk factors for atrial fibrillation: causes of ‘not-so-lone atrial fibrillation’

Bas A. Schoonderwoerd1, Marcelle D. Smit1, Lucas Pen1 and Isabelle C. Van Gelder1,2,*

1 Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands; 2 The Interuniversity Cardiology Institute Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent arrhythmia in patients with cardiovascular disease. The classical risk factors for developing AF include hypertension, valvular disease, (ischaemic) cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid disease. In some patients with AF, no underlying (cardiovascular) pathology is present and the aetiology remains unknown. This condition is known as lone AF. However, in recent years, other factors playing a role in the genesis of AF have gained attention, including obesity, sleep apnoea, alcohol abuse and other intoxications, excessive sports practice, latent hypertension, genetic factors, and inflammation. In this review, we address these ‘new risk factors’ (i.e. as opposed to the classical risk factors) and the mechanisms by which they lead to AF.

Key Words: Atrial fibrillation, Risk factors, Obesity, Alcohol, Inflammation, Exercise

* Corresponding author. Tel: +31 50 361 2355; fax: +31 50 361 4391. E-mail address: i.c.van.gelder{at}thorax.umcg.nl

Manuscript submitted 14 January 2008. Accepted after revision 18 April 2008.


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