Atrial fibrillation in the Indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States: a systematic scoping review.
BACKGROUND
The epidemiology of atrial fibrillation (AF) among Indigenous minorities in affluent countries is poorly delineated, despite the high cardiovascular disease burden in these populations. We undertook a systematic scoping review examining the epidemiology of AF in the Indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand (NZ) and the United States (US).


METHODS
PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE and CINAHL-Plus databases were systematically searched in May 2014. Supplementary full-text searches of Google Scholar and government website searches were also undertaken.


RESULTS
Key findings from 27 publications with diverse aims and methods were included. Small studies from Canada and NZ suggest higher AF prevalence in Indigenous than other populations. However, this was not reflected in a large sample of US male military veterans. No data were identified on community-based incidence rates of AF in Indigenous populations. Australian and Canadian studies indicate higher first-ever and overall AF hospitalisation rates among Indigenous than other populations, at younger ages and with more comorbidity. Studies in stroke, heart failure and other clinical groups demonstrate AF as a common comorbidity, with AF possibly more prevalent at younger ages in Indigenous people. Indigenous patients have similar early post-hospitalisation adjusted mortality but higher 1-year risk-adjusted mortality than non-Indigenous patients.


CONCLUSIONS
No clear epidemiological pattern of AF frequency across the considered Indigenous populations emerges from the limited available evidence. AF should be included in key conditions reported in national surveillance reports, although Indigenous identifiers are required in administrative data from Canada and the US. Sufficiently powered, community-based studies of AF epidemiology in diverse Indigenous populations are needed.
Western Australian Centre for Rural Health, The University of Western Australia (M706), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia.|School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia (M431), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia.
Judith M
JM
Katzenellenbogen
Western Australian Centre for Rural Health, The University of Western Australia (M706), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. john.woods@uwa.edu.au.
John A
JA
Woods
Western Australian Centre for Rural Health, The University of Western Australia (M706), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia.
Tiew-Hwa Katherine
TH
Teng
Western Australian Centre for Rural Health, The University of Western Australia (M706), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia.
Sandra C
SC
Thompson
D006801:Humans; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D015994:Incidence; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D000081034:Indigenous Peoples / Q000706:statistics & numerical data