title: The risk of atrial fibrillation in the general male population: a lifetime follow-up of 50-year-old men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, incidence rate, and lifetime risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) in a population-based study of Swedish men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study is a part of 'The Study of Men Born in 1913', which is a longitudinal prospective cohort study of 855 men born in 1913 and living in the city of Gothenburg in Sweden. They were followed from the age of 50 years until 98 years with repeated examinations and data from the Swedish National Hospital Discharge Register. A total of 185 (21.6%) men developed AF. The prevalence of AF increased from 0.4% at 50 years old, to 1.9% by 60 years old, to 4.6% by 70 years old, to 12.5% by 80 years old, and to 15.7% by 90 years old. The lifetime risk of developing AF was 22.5%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Atrial fibrillation is rare at the age of 50 in Swedish men, but it increases exponentially with age, markedly accelerating after 70 years old. In nonagenarians, one of five men has or has had AF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden zacharias.mandalenakis@gu.se.
authors.forename: Zacharias
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mandalenakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lotta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Von Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dellborg
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Caidahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Welin
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosengren
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per-Olof
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Hansson
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D054526:Men's Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Epidemiology; Incidence; Lifetime risk; Population-based studies; Prevalence