Is south Asian ethnicity associated with a lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation despite greater prevalence of established risk factors : a population-based study in Bradford Metropolitan District?
This study, in a multi-ethnic population, presents ethnicity as a predictor of AF in which prevalence is significantly lower in SAs when compared with Whites. This is despite SAs having a higher frequency of established risk factors for the development of AF, such as ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. These findings are consistent with previous literature and add weight to the need for further investigation, although this is the first study to investigate the differential associations of individual risk factors with development of AF.
The results indicate that nicotine influences autoimmune processes in human diabetes.