Variations in Etiology and Management of Atrial Fibrillation in a Prospective Registry of 15,400 Emergency Department Patients in 46 Countries: The RE-LY AF Registry

CIRCULATIONAHA: January 24, 2014

Background—Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia; however little is known about patients in a primary care setting from high, middle and low-income countries.

Methods and Results—This prospective registry enrolled patients presenting to an emergency department with AF at 164 sites in 46 countries representing all inhabited continents. Patient characteristics were compared between 9 major geographic regions. Between September 2008 and April 2011, 15,400 patients were enrolled. The average age was 65.9, SD14.8 years, ranging from 57.2, SD18.8 years in Africa, to 70.1, SD13.4 years in North America, p<0.001. Hypertension was globally the most common risk factor for AF, ranging in prevalence from 41.6% in India to 80.7% in Eastern Europe, p<0.001. Rheumatic heart disease was present in only 2.2% of North American patients, compared to 21.5% in Africa and 31.5% in India, p<0.001.Read More