outrider wrote:
>
> Obesity Appears To Be Modifiable Risk Factor for Atrial Fibrillation
>
> CHICAGO - New research indicates that being obese could increase a
> person's risk for atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular
> heart rhythm, by 50 percent, according to a study in the November 24
> issue of JAMA.
>
> The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is expected to increase
> several-fold in the coming decades, according to background information
> in the article. Because the onset of AF is associated with considerable
> illness and a higher risk of death despite various therapies, the
> identification of potentially modifiable risk factors for AF is
> important. While obesity has been associated with other heart
> problems, it has been unclear whether it is a risk factor for AF.
>
> Thomas J. Wang, M.D., of the Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Mass.,
> and colleagues examined long-term followup data from the Framingham
> Heart Study to determine if there was an association between body mass
> index (BMI, a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in
> meters squared) and the risk of developing AF. The study group included
> 5,282 participants (average age, 57 years; 2,898 women) without
> baseline AF. The researchers examined risk for three categories of BMI:
> normal, defined as less than 25.0; overweight, 25.0 to less than 30.0;
> and obese, greater than 30.0. A 5'4" woman would have a BMI of 30
> if she weighed 174 lbs.; a 6'00" man would have a BMI of 30 if he
> weighed 221 lbs.
>
> During an average follow-up of 13.7 years, 526 participants (234 women)
> developed AF. Age-adjusted incidence rates for AF increased across the
> 3 BMI categories in men and women. In multivariable models adjusted for
> cardiovascular risk factors and interim heart attack or heart failure,
> a 4 percent increase in AF risk per 1-unit increase in BMI was observed
> in men. Obese men had a 52 percent increased risk for AF; obese women,
> 46 percent increased risk, compared with individuals with normal BMI.
> The researchers found that the increased risk for AF may be mostly
> attributable to an associated dilation of the left atrial (upper
> chamber of the heart).
>
> "... the implication of these results for the population burden of AF
> may be substantial, because obesity is highly prevalent and potentially
> modifiable. Thus, even a small decrease in the prevalence of obesity
> could lead to a large reduction in the incidence of AF," the authors
> write.
>
> "Because management of AF remains a difficult clinical challenge, the
> identification of potentially modifiable risk factors may have
> important public health implications. Although our study was
> observational, it raises the intriguing possibility that weight
> reduction may decrease the risk of AF," the researchers write.
>
> (JAMA. 2004;292:2471-2477.
>
> Editor's Note: This work was supported by grants from the National
> Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
> For the financial disclosures of the authors, please see the JAMA
> article.

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Andrew

--
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