ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2011
Predictors of incident atrial fibrillation and influence of medications: a retrospective case-control study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bidirectional association between COPD and AF: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Body mass index, abdominal fatness, fat mass and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies.European journal of epidemiology · 2017Pooled it
- Chocolate Consumption and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation (from the Physicians' Health Study).The American journal of cardiology · 2015Trial
- Sleep duration and risk of atrial fibrillation (from the Physicians' Health Study).The American journal of cardiology · 2013Trial
- Consumption of fried foods and risk of atrial fibrillation in the Physicians' Health Study.European journal of nutrition · 2020Article
- Sex Differences in the Impact of Body Mass Index on the Risk of Future Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Longitudinal Population-Based Tromsø Study.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2018Article
- Impact of gout on the risk of atrial fibrillation.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2016Article
- Acute effect of zoledronic acid on the risk of cardiac dysrhythmias.Internal and emergency medicine · 2015Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a common condition, associated with raised mortality and risk of major morbidity, and is predicted to increase due to an aging population.
aimTo update earlier research of AF predictors using UK data. DESIGN AND
settingCase-control analysis of adults aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of AF in practices registered with the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) in the UK.
methodUsing the GPRD, a case.control analysis was performed using logistic regression to compare 55,412 incident AF cases to 216,400 controls, for medical history and prior use of drugs. The association between time since start of diagnosis or drug use and AF risk was summarised using Spline regression.
resultsThe following were confirmed as risk factors for AF: heart failure (risk ratio [RR] 2.91 [95% CI = 2.59 to 3.27]); ischaemic heart disease (IHD) (RR 2.00 [95% CI = 1.78 to 2.24]); hypertension (RR 2.60 [95% CI = 2.32 to 2.92]); hyperthyroidism (RR 1.56 [95% CI = 1.39 to 1.75]); being a heavy drinker (RR 1.43 [95% CI = 1.27 to 1.60]); cerebrovascular accident (RR 1.48 [95% CI = 1.32 to 1.66]); and obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2) RR 1.29 [95% CI = 1.15 to 1.45]). Current use of oral glucocorticoids (RR 1.62 [95% CI = 1.44 to 1.82]) and of beta-2 agonists (RR 1.30 [95% CI = 1.16 to 1.46]) were identified as significant risk factors, and statins (RR 0.82 [95% CI = 0.73 to 0.92]) as a significant protective factor. No effect was found for current use of bisphosphonates (RR 0.95 [95% CI = 0.85 to 1.07]), renin.angiotensin.aldosterone system (RAAS) agents (RR 1.04 [95% CI = 0.93 to 1.17]), or xanthine derivatives (RR 1.09 [95% CI = 0.97 to 1.22]). Spline regression analysis found the effect of heart failure, IHD, use of oral glucocorticoids, and use of statins on the likelihood of developing AF was sustained over a number of years.
conclusionThese findings update the risk factors that are associated with AF, and confirm the protective properties of statins and the risks of beta-2 agonists in developing AF, but not the supposed protective qualities of glucocorticoids and RAAS agents.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.