The relationship between decreased pulmonary function and atrial fibrillation in general population: Findings from Ansung-Ansan cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study.
BACKGROUND
Decreased pulmonary function is a possible risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, data on this relationship in Asian populations are scant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between decreased pulmonary function and the incidence of AF in a prospective cohort of Koreans aged 40-69 years.


METHODS
We assessed AF in 9631 Korean people enrolled in the community-based cohort who were followed for up to 12 years. AF at baseline was identified by electrocardiography (ECG) performed during the baseline visit and/or the self-reported history of physician-determined diagnosis made before the baseline visit. Similarly, AF newly developed after the baseline visit was also identified by biennially performed ECGs and/or the self-reported history of physician-determined diagnosis that occurred between each biennial visit. If AF was identified by both ECGs and the history in the same subject, the earlier identification date was considered the time of AF development.


RESULTS
The median age was 50 (interquartile range, 44-60) years, and 4633 (48.1%) were male. The prevalence of AF at baseline was significantly higher in subjects with lower quartiles of forced expiratory volume in second (FEV1)% predicted (1.2% in the lowest quartile versus 0.3% in the highest quartile; p<0.001). After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, FEV1% predicted and forced vital capacity (FVC)% predicted were independent risk factors for AF at baseline. Over a median follow-up period of 138 (interquartile range, 70-141) months, AF was newly documented in 162 subjects (1.7%). The lowest quartiles of FEV1% predicted (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.50) was associated with a higher risk of incident AF than the highest quartiles.


CONCLUSIONS
In this large community-based cohort study with a long-term follow-up, decreased pulmonary function was found to be an independent risk factor for AF in the general Korean population.
['Kim|Byung Sik|BS|', 'Park|Jin-Kyu|JK|', 'Lee|Yonggu|Y|', 'Shin|Jeong Hun|JH|', 'Lim|Young-Hyo|YH|', 'Park|Hwan-Cheol|HC|', 'Kim|Chun Ki|CK|', 'Shin|Jinho|J|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D001281:Atrial Fibrillation D004562:Electrocardiography D005260:Female D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume D006801:Humans D015994:Incidence D008168:Lung D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D015995:Prevalence D016016:Proportional Hazards Models D011446:Prospective Studies D056910:Republic of Korea D012129:Respiratory Function Tests D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency D018570:Risk Assessment D012307:Risk Factors D014797:Vital Capacity
Pulmonary function Atrial fibrillation General population Spirometry