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 .
Orthostatic hypotension and long-term incidence of atrial fibrillation: the Malmö Preventive Project.
OBJECTIVES Orthostatic hypotension ( OH ) , a common manifestation of autonomic dysfunction , has been identified as an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality and incident cardiovascular disease . However , the role of OH in the development of atrial fibrillation has not been studied . DESIGN We investigated the incidence of atrial fibrillation in relation to baseline presence of OH according to international consensus criteria in the Swedish population -based prospect i ve cohort of the Malmö Preventive Project . The study sample consisted of 33,346 individuals ( 67.3 % men ; mean age , 45.6 ± 7.4 years ; range , 26 - 61 years ) . The association between OH and incidence of atrial fibrillation during follow-up was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models , taking into account conventional risk factors for atrial fibrillation . RESULTS At baseline , 1987 participants ( 6.1 % ) met the diagnostic criteria for OH . Over a follow-up period of approximately 24 years , 2312 individuals ( 3.0 events/1000 person-years ) were diagnosed with new-onset atrial fibrillation . Of these , 196 had OH at baseline ( 4.6 events/1000 person-years amongst all OH-positive individuals ) . In a multivariable Cox regression analysis , OH predicted incidence of atrial fibrillation independently of other risk factors ( hazard ratio [ HR ] : 1.30 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] : 1.05 - 1.61 ; P = 0.016 ) , and this association was significant in hypertensive ( HR : 1.44 ; 95%CI : 1.10 - 1.88 ; P = 0.008 ) , but not in normotensive participants ( HR : 1.10 ; 95%CI : 0.77 - 1.58 ; P = 0.60 ) . CONCLUSIONS The presence of OH predicts the incidence of atrial fibrillation in middle-aged hypertensive individuals , independently of conventional risk factors . Further studies of the association of autonomic dysfunction and OH with atrial fibrillation are needed
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 .