Revisiting the risks of incident atrial fibrillation: a narrative review. Part 1

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. Much focus has been directed towards AF prevention, given the morbidity, mortality, and financial cost to health care systems associated with this arrhythmia. There are a number of common conditions associated with the onset of AF, but not only limited to hypertension, diabetes, or smoking. As we understand the factors associated with incident AF, public health campaigns and targeted patient interventions are warranted to promote blood pressure control, glycemic control in patients with diabetes, smoking cessation to prevent AF, and associated comorbidity. In this narrative review, we consider some of the evidence linking these risk factors with AF. We additionally examine the role of risk factor modification in reducing AF burden. In Part 1 we address the evidence for hypertension, diabetes, and smoking as risk factors for incident AF.