Is the risk of atrial fibrillation higher in athletes than in the general population? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

AimsThe aim of this study was to examine by a systematic literature review and meta-analysis whether the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) is higher in athletes compared with not athletes.Methods and resultsA comprehensive systematic search was conducted for case-control studies that examined cases of AF or atrial flutter in athletes vs. controls. Extracted data from the eligible studies were meta-analysed using fixed effects model. Six case-control studies were eligible for meta-analysis. A total of 655 athletes and 895 controls were compared. Mean age was 51 ± 9 years and 93 were men. There were 147 (23) vs. 116 (12.5) cases of AF among athletes compared with controls. The overall risk of AF was significantly higher in athletes than in controls with odds ratio (95 confidence interval) = 5.29 (3.57-7.85), P = 0.0001, and Z-score = 8.08. For heterogeneity, the calculated χ2 = 2.92, P = 0.633, and I2 = 0 were not significant.ConclusionThe risk of AF is significantly higher in athletes compared with not athletes. However, this finding should be confirmed further in large-scale prospective longitudinal studies.