title: Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation in a general Chinese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus in a general Chinese population, and the influence of hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2013 to August 2013, we carried out a cross-sectional study involving 11,956 permanent residents aged ≥35 years from the general population in the Liaoning province of China (response rate 85.3%). Each participant completed a questionnaire, had a physical examination, and underwent an electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. AF was diagnosed on the basis of the electrocardiogram findings. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to estimate the associations between diabetes mellitus and AF. The associations were also analyzed in hypertensive and normotensive subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a higher prevalence of AF in participants with diabetes mellitus than those without diabetes mellitus (1.2 vs 0.5%; P = 0.004). In the hypertensive subgroup, the prevalence of AF in participants with diabetes mellitus was significantly higher than in participants without diabetes mellitus (1.5 vs 0.6%; P = 0.008); however, the prevalences were similar in the normotensive subgroup (0.3 vs 0.4%; P = 1.000). Similar trends were present in both men and women. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, the independent association between diabetes mellitus and AF remained in the total sample (odds ratio 2.33, 95% confidence interval 1.20-4.54) and hypertensive subgroup (odds ratio 3.15, 95% confidence interval 1.52-6.56), but not in the normotensive subgroup (odds ratio 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.08-5.31).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for AF in the general population in China, this association was present in total and hypertensive participants, but not in normotensive participants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Guozhe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.|Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fenyang hospital, Shanxi, China.
authors.forename: Mingfeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Yintao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Dongxue
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Yingxian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Diabetes mellitus; Hypertension