Big women have nearly threefold greater risk of atrial fibrillation

Big women have a nearly threefold greater risk of atrial fibrillation than small women, according to research presented at EuroPrevent 2017. The study included 1.5 million women who were followed-up for more than 30 years. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder, with a 20% lifetime risk. It occurs most often in people over 60 years of age and increases the risk of stroke and heart failure. “Our research has previously shown that a large body size at age 20, and weight gain from age 20 to midlife, both independently increase the risk of atrial fibrillation in men,”