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Atrial fibrillation causes

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Hilda Mahmoudi M.D., M.P.H.[2] Ogheneochuko Ajari, MB.BS, MS [3]

Overview

The most common cause of atrial fibrillation is atrial dilation associated with hypertension. Atrial fibrillation can be caused by several organic cardiac diseases, but it has also been reported to have a familial etiology in some patients. Approximately 1/3 of patients have familial atrial fibrillation which is due to an underlying genetic disorder. In developed countries, hypertensive heart disease and coronary heart disease are the two most common causes of atrial fibrillation. However, rheumatic heart disease is associated with a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation in developing countries. Life threatening conditions such as acute coronary syndromes, electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, hypoxia, pulmonary embolism, myocarditis and pericarditis should be identified and promptly treated. Other general causes such as the advancing age of the population, the hemodynamic stress of heart failure and valvular heart disease, myocardial ischemia, a variety of inflammatory disorders, pulmonary diseases, alcohol, drug abuse, and endocrine disorders.

Causes

Life Threatening Causes

Life-threatening causes include conditions which may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated. The following are some of the well known life threatening causes of atrial fibrillation:[1][2][3]

Common Causes

The following are the common causes of atrial fibrillation:[4][5][6]

Causes by Organ System

Cardiovascular Alcoholic cardiomyopathy, Atrial ischemia, atrial myxoma, atrial septal defect, cardiac surgery, cardiac tumors, cardiomyopathy, conduction disorders, congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure, constrictive pericarditis, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, coronary artery disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, endocarditis, Eisenmenger syndrome, endomyocardial fibrosis, familial atrial fibrillation, hypertensive heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, Lutembacher syndrome, mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, partial atrioventricular block, pericarditis, peripartum cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, short QT syndrome, sick sinus syndrome, sinoatrial block, systemic hypertension, tricuspid regurgitation, tricuspid stenosis, unstable angina, uremic pericarditis, valvular heart disease, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Chemical/Poisoning No underlying causes
Dental No underlying causes
Dermatologic No underlying causes
Drug Side Effect Amphetamine, caspofungin acetate, conivaptan, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine toxicity, etravirine, febuxostat, felbamate, granisetron, guanidine, ibrutinib, idarubicin hydrochloride, ioxilan, interleukin 2, lacosamide, metipranolol, niacin, oprelvekin, pergolide, porfimer sodium, pramipexole, ropinirole
Ear Nose Throat No underlying causes
Endocrine Diabetes, Graves disease, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism
Environmental No underlying causes
Gastroenterologic No underlying causes
Genetic Familial atrial fibrillation, hemochromatosis, McLeod syndrome
Hematologic Hemochromatosis, McLeod syndrome
Iatrogenic No underlying causes
Infectious Disease Viral infections
Musculoskeletal/Orthopedic No underlying causes
Neurologic Stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage
Nutritional/Metabolic Electrolyte disturbance, ethanol, hemochromatosis
Obstetric/Gynecologic No underlying causes
Oncologic Atrial myxoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, cardiac tumors, lung cancer, pheochromocytoma
Ophthalmologic No underlying causes
Overdose/Toxicity Alcohol, cocaine, cyclosporine toxicity, methamphetamines
Psychiatric No underlying causes
Pulmonary Bronchogenic carcinoma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypoxia, lung cancer, obstructive sleep apnea, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension
Renal/Electrolyte Channelopaties , chronic kidney disease, renal insufficiency
Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy Collagen vascular disease, rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, sarcoidosis
Sexual No underlying causes
Trauma No underlying causes
Urologic No underlying causes
Miscellaneous Breath spray, caffeine, dehydration, ethanol, fatigue, hypothermia, psychological stress, surgery

Causes in Alphabetical Order

References

  1. ↑ Fox, CS.; Parise, H.; D’Agostino, RB.; Lloyd-Jones, DM.; Vasan, RS.; Wang, TJ.; Levy, D.; Wolf, PA.; Benjamin, EJ. (2004). “Parental atrial fibrillation as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation in offspring”. JAMA. 291 (23): 2851–5. doi:10.1001/jama.291.23.2851. PMID 15199036. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Zimetbaum, PJ.; Josephson, ME.; McDonald, MJ.; McClennen, S.; Korley, V.; Ho, KK.; Papageorgiou, P.; Cohen, DJ. (2000). “Incidence and predictors of myocardial infarction among patients with atrial fibrillation”. J Am Coll Cardiol. 36 (4): 1223–7. PMID 11028474. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Goldhaber, SZ.; Visani, L.; De Rosa, M. (1999). “Acute pulmonary embolism: clinical outcomes in the International Cooperative Pulmonary Embolism Registry (ICOPER)”. Lancet. 353 (9162): 1386–9. PMID 10227218. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Krahn, AD.; Manfreda, J.; Tate, RB.; Mathewson, FA.; Cuddy, TE. (1995). “The natural history of atrial fibrillation: incidence, risk factors, and prognosis in the Manitoba Follow-Up Study”. Am J Med. 98 (5): 476–84. doi:10.1016/S0002-9343(99)80348-9. PMID 7733127. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kannel, WB.; Abbott, RD.; Savage, DD.; McNamara, PM. (1982). “Epidemiologic features of chronic atrial fibrillation: the Framingham study”. N Engl J Med. 306 (17): 1018–22. doi:10.1056/NEJM198204293061703. PMID 7062992. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Grigioni, F.; Avierinos, JF.; Ling, LH.; Scott, CG.; Bailey, KR.; Tajik, AJ.; Frye, RL.; Enriquez-Sarano, M. (2002). “Atrial fibrillation complicating the course of degenerative mitral regurgitation: determinants and long-term outcome”. J Am Coll Cardiol. 40 (1): 84–92. PMID 12103260. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ Tikoff, G.; Schmidt, AM.; Hecht, HH. (1968). “Atrial fibrillation in atrial septal defect”. Arch Intern Med. 121 (5): 402–5. PMID 5645716. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ↑ Ridker PM, Gibson CM, Lopez R (1989). “Atrial fibrillation induced by breath spray”. N Engl J Med. 320 (2): 124. PMID 2914028.
  9. ↑ Buch, P.; Friberg, J.; Scharling, H.; Lange, P.; Prescott, E. (2003). “Reduced lung function and risk of atrial fibrillation in the Copenhagen City Heart Study”. Eur Respir J. 21 (6): 1012–6. PMID 12797497. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ↑ Benjamin, EJ.; Levy, D.; Vaziri, SM.; D’Agostino, RB.; Belanger, AJ.; Wolf, PA. (1994). “Independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation in a population-based cohort. The Framingham Heart Study”. JAMA. 271 (11): 840–4. PMID 8114238. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ↑ Robinson, K.; Frenneaux, MP.; Stockins, B.; Karatasakis, G.; Poloniecki, JD.; McKenna, WJ. (1990). “Atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a longitudinal study”. J Am Coll Cardiol. 15 (6): 1279–85. PMID 2329232. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. ↑ Cecchi, F.; Olivotto, I.; Montereggi, A.; Santoro, G.; Dolara, A.; Maron, BJ. (1995). “Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Tuscany: clinical course and outcome in an unselected regional population”. J Am Coll Cardiol. 26 (6): 1529–36. doi:10.1016/0735-1097(95)00353-3. PMID 7594081. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ↑ WALSH, JJ.; BURCH, GE.; BLACK, WC.; FERRANS, VJ.; HIBBS, RG. (1965). “IDIOPATHIC MYOCARDIOPATHY OF THE PUERPERIUM (POSTPARTAL HEART DISEASE)”. Circulation. 32: 19–31. PMID 14314486. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)


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