ArticleBMC cardiovascular disorders2026
Association between autoimmune diseases and atrial fibrillation: a real-world analysis from German outpatient data.
Article in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Chronic systemic inflammation is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in AF pathogenesis. Autoimmune diseases (AIDs), with their prototypical inflammatory conditions, may therefore be associated with AF. However, evidence from routine outpatient care regarding these potential associations across multiple AIDs remains limited.
objectiveWe aimed to examine whether autoimmune diseases are associated with increased odds of atrial fibrillation and to assess whether these associations differ between women and men.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective 1:1 matched case-control study using data from the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA). Adult patients with AF (2010–2024) were matched to AF-free controls based on age, sex, comorbidities, medication use and observation time. The presence of predefined AIDs prior to AF diagnosis was identified using ICD-10 codes. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and sex-stratified data were analyzed.
resultsA total of 174,992 AF cases and 174,992 matched controls were included (mean age 74.0 years, 48% female). Overall, any AID was associated with AF (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.09–1.15). Significant associations were observed for rheumatoid arthritis (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.10–1.18), inflammatory bowel disease (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.06–1.27), psoriasis (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.05–1.15), and Graves’ disease (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.18–1.41).
conclusionSeveral AIDs were modestly associated with atrial fibrillation in routine outpatient care. Sex-stratified analyses suggested variation in point estimates for some associations, while interaction analyses showed limited evidence for true sex-specific effect modification. These findings support the role of systemic inflammation in AF pathogenesis and underscore the need for interdisciplinary cardiovascular risk assessment in patients with autoimmune conditions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.