title: Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Atrial Fibrillation: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the cross-sectional association between ETS exposure and AF in 12,021 participants (mean age: 65 ± 9.9 years; 60% women; 40% blacks) from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study who self-identified as never smokers between 2003 and 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2503 (21%) participants reported ETS exposure. In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for sociodemographics and potential confounders, ETS exposure was significantly associated with AF (odds ratio = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 1.08, 1.50).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the harmful effects of ETS exposure extend to sustained arrhythmias such as AF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine (Dr O'Neal); Department of Internal Medicine (Dr Qureshi, Dr Soliman), Section on Cardiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Department of Biostatistics (Dr Judd, Dr McClure, Dr G Howard), School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Departments of Medicine and Pathology (Dr Cushman), Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington; Department of Epidemiology (Dr VJ Howard), School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center (EPICARE) (Dr Soliman), Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Wesley T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: O'Neal
authors.forename: Waqas T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Suzanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Judd
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cushman
authors.forename: Virginia J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Elsayed Z
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Soliman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution