Prevalence and relative risk factors of atrial fibrillation in male coal miners in North China

摘要

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias in clinical practice with considerable symptoms. AF impairs both functional status and the quality of life [1], and thus becomes a huge burden of healthcare costs. The prevalence of AF depends upon the population studied [1,2], However, very few large scales of studies to date have investigated the prevalence of AF and relative risk factors in China. Thus, we performed this epidemiological study in the population of Kailuan Mining area in China to evaluate the epidemiological features of AF in such domestic population.From June, 2006 to October, 2007, we surveyed 81,103 male employees and retired employees in Kailuan Coal Mining Corporation and investigated all underlying conditions in this population. Physical examinations and questionnaires for the subjects were completed. The subjects underwent ECG and biochemical lab tests. Diagnosis of AF was made on twelve-lead ECG and history.