title: Perceived Stress and Atrial Fibrillation: The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association between perceived stress and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the association between perceived stress and AF.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 25,530 participants (mean age 65 ± 9.4 years; 54 % women; 41 % blacks) from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study were included in this analysis. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the association between the short version of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale and AF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a multivariable analysis adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and potential confounders, the prevalence of AF was found to increase with higher levels of stress (none: OR = 1.0, referent; low stress: OR = 1.12, 95 % CI = 0.98, 1.27; moderate stress OR = 1.27, 95 % CI = 1.11, 1.47; high stress: OR = 1.60, 95 % CI = 1.39, 1.84).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing levels of perceived stress are associated with prevalent AF in REGARDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. woneal@wakehealth.edu.
authors.forename: Wesley T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: O'Neal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section on Cardiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Waqas
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Judd
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Glasser
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Lama
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ghazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: LeaVonne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulley
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Virginia J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section on Cardiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.|Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center (EPICARE), Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Elsayed Z
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Soliman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Epidemiology; Stress