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 .
Cigarette smoking and risk of atrial fibrillation: the Rotterdam Study.
BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease , but it is unknown whether it also contributes to the risk of atrial fibrillation . METHODS AND RESULTS The study is part of the Rotterdam Study , a population -based cohort study among subjects aged > or = 55 years . The association between cigarette smoking and the risk of atrial fibrillation was examined in 5,668 subjects without atrial fibrillation at baseline . During a median follow-up of 7.2 years , 371 cases of atrial fibrillation were identified . Relative risks ( RR ) were calculated with 95 % CIs using the Cox proportional hazards model , adjusted for age , gender , body mass index , hypertension , systolic blood pressure , serum cholesterol level , diabetes mellitus , left ventricular hypertrophy on the electrocardiogram , prevalent and incident myocardial infa rct ion , prevalent heart failure , and the use of pulmonary medication . After multivariate adjustment , current smokers and former smokers had increased risks of atrial fibrillation as compared to never smokers ( RR 1.51 , 95 % CI 1.07 - 2.12 ; and RR 1.49 , 95 % CI 1.14 - 1.97 , respectively ) . No differences were found between men and women . CONCLUSIONS The results of this prospect i ve , population -based study show that current and former smoking of cigarettes are associated with 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 .