Roopinder Sandu (2013) and colleagues from University of Alberta studied 39,876 women who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Study. This was a study initially designed to look at the benefits of long-term aspirin, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. All participants were >45 years of age and did not have known heart disease. Over 16 years of follow-up, 690 women developed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and 349 women developed persistent or longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation. So like other studies, there was a 30-35 percent risk of going into persistent atrial fibrillation. The following risk factors that can potentially be modified were identified as those associated with the development of persistent atrial fibrillation:
1. Obesity. Women (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) were 156 percent more likely than normal weight women
2. Diabetes. Diabetic women were 22 percent more likely than nondiabetics
3. Hypertension. Women with high blood pressure had a 57 percent higher risk
4. Alcohol Use. Women that consumed >2 drinks of alcohol per day were 55 percent more likely than women who drank