Who Is At Risk for Atrial Fibrillation?

Populations Affected

More than 2 million people in the United States have atrial fibrillation (AF), and it affects both men and women. AF generally occurs in older people, mostly because they’re more likely to have heart disease or conditions that increase the risk of AF. AF is uncommon among young people.

Major Risk Factors

AF is more common in people with heart diseases or conditions, including:

• Coronary artery disease
• Heart failure
• Rheumatic heart disease
• Structural defects, such as mitral valve disorders
• Pericarditis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding the heart)
• Congenital heart defects
• Sick sinus syndrome (a condition in which the heart's electrical signals don't fire properly and the heart rate slows down; sometimes the heart will switch back and forth between a too-slow rate and a too-fast rate)

AF also is more common in people who are having a heart attack or who have just had surgery.

Other conditions that increase AF risk include hyperthyroidism, obesity, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and lung diseases.

Recent evidence suggests that patients who receive high-dose steroid therapy are at increased risk of AF. This therapy, which is commonly used for asthma and certain inflammatory conditions, may act as a trigger in people who already have other risk factors for AF.