Atrial Fibrillation - Causes

Causes

AF is linked to several cardiac causes, but may occur in otherwise normal hearts. Known associations include:

• Hypertension (High blood pressure)
• Primary heart diseases including coronary artery disease, mitral stenosis (e.g., due to rheumatic heart disease or mitral valve prolapse), mitral regurgitation, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), pericarditis, congenital heart disease, previous heart surgery
• Lung diseases (such as pneumonia, lung cancer, pulmonary embolism, sarcoidosis)
• Excessive alcohol consumption ("binge drinking" or "holiday heart syndrome"). Even otherwise healthy middle-aged women who consumed more than 2 drinks daily were 60% more likely to develop AF.
• Hyperthyroidism
• Dual-chamber pacemakers in the presence of normal atrioventricular conduction.
• A family history of AF may increase the risk of AF. A study of more than 2,200 AF patients found that 30 percent had parents with AF. Various genetic mutations may be responsible.