Cross-country skiing and risk of atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis of cohort studies

摘要

? 2022 The Author(s)Background: This meta-analysis of cohort studies was performed to investigate the effect of cross-country skiing on atrial fibrillation risk. Methods: Databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Internet were searched from the inception dates to April 25, 2021. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the studies. A meta-analysis using random-effects model was performed to estimate the overall relative risks (RR) of atrial fibrillation incidence and 95 confidence intervals (CIs) for the individuals with cross-country skiers and general population. After screening 116 titles/abstracts and 11 full-text studies identified in the search, 6 studies (from 11 cohorts) and a total of 1,901,833 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to non-skiers, the overall relative risks (RR) of atrial fibrillation incidence had no significant difference (RR, 0.93; 95CI: 0.80–1.07, P = 0.25) and had a high heterogeneity. Results of Meta-analysis indicated sex was a main source of heterogeneity. After excluding the 2 female cohorts (RR = 0.63, RR = 0.47, respectively) and 1 relative low quality cohort, the result of 8 cohorts shows there was an 8 increased risk of atrial fibrillation (pooled RR = 1.08; 95CI: 1.02–1.14). Conclusion: Findings from this meta-analysis indicate that male cross-country skiers are associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but a reduced risk in female skiers.