Atrial fibrillation in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To examine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiac structural characteristics in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study linking clinical, echocardiography and administrative databases over a 10-year period. Setting: A tertiary, university teaching hospital in Adelaide, Australia. Participants: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Main outcome measures: AF prevalence and echocardiographic characteristics. Results: Indigenous Australians with AF were significantly younger compared to non-Indigenous Australians (55±13 vs 75±13 years, p<0.001). As a result, racial differences in AF prevalence and left atrial diameter..