A systematic evaluation of the available evidence suggests similarities as well as important differences in the risk factors for incidence of AF as compared with other cardiovascular diseases , which has implication s for the primary prevention strategies for atrial fibrillation
Established primary prevention strategies of cardiovascular diseases are based on underst and ing of risk factors , but whether the same risk factors are associated with  atrial fibrillation ( AF )  remains unclear .
Alcohol consumption and risk of incident atrial fibrillation in women.
CONTEXT Previous studies suggest that consuming moderate to high amounts of alcohol on a regular basis might increase the risk of developing  atrial fibrillation  in men but not in women . However , these studies were not powered to investigate the association of alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation among women . OBJECTIVE To prospect ively assess the association between regular alcohol consumption  and incident atrial fibrillation among women . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PARTICIPANTS Participants were 34 715 initially healthy women participating in the Women 's Health Study , a completed r and omized controlled trial conducted in the United States . Participants were older than 45 years and free of atrial fibrillation at baseline and underwent prospect i ve follow-up from 1993 to October 31 , 2006 .  Alcohol consumption  was assessed via question naires at baseline and at 48 months of follow-up and was grouped into 4 categories ( 0 , > 0 and < 1 , > or = 1 and < 2 , and > or = 2 drinks per day ) . Atrial fibrillation was self-reported on the yearly question naires and subsequently confirmed by electrocardiogram and medical record review . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Time to first episode of atrial fibrillation . RESULTS Over a median follow-up of 12.4 years , 653 cases of incident atrial fibrillation were confirmed . Age-adjusted incidences among women consuming 0 ( n = 15,370 ) , more than 0 and less than 1 ( n = 15,758 ) , 1 or more and less than 2 ( n = 2228 ) , and 2 or more ( n = 1359 ) drinks per day were 1.59 , 1.55 , 1.27 , and 2.25 events/1000 person-years of follow-up . Thus , compared with nondrinking women , women consuming 2 or more drinks per day had an absolute risk increase of 0.66 events/1000 person-years . The corresponding multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios ( HRs ) for incident atrial fibrillation were 1 , 1.05 ( 95 % CI , 0.88 - 1.25 ) , 0.84 ( 95 % CI , 0.58 - 1.22 ) , and 1.60 ( 95 % CI , 1.13 - 2.25 ) , respectively . The increased hazard in the small group of women consuming 2 or more drinks per day persisted when alcohol intake was up date d at 48 months ( HR , 1.49 ; 95 % CI , 1.05 - 2.11 ) or when women were censored at their first cardiovascular event ( HR , 1.68 ; 95 % CI , 1.18 - 2.39 ) . CONCLUSIONS Among healthy middle-aged women , consumption of up to 2 alcoholic beverages per day was not associated with an increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation . Heavier consumption of 2 or more drinks per day , however , was associated with a small but statistically significant increased risk of atrial fibrillation
A systematic evaluation of the available evidence suggests similarities as well as important differences in the risk factors for incidence of AF as compared with other cardiovascular diseases , which has implication s for the primary prevention strategies for atrial fibrillation
Established primary prevention strategies of cardiovascular diseases are based on underst and ing of risk factors , but whether the same risk factors are associated with  atrial fibrillation ( AF )  remains unclear .