Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) significantly contributes to global cardiac morbidity and mortality. Understanding its epidemiological trends is crucial for devising effective health interventions.
Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the global burden of AF/AFL among overweight and obese individuals from 1990 to 2019, exploring variations in mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and risk factor prevalence across 204 countries, as per the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019).
Methods: Utilizing GBD 2019 data, this observational study assessed age-standardized mortality and DALY rates for AF/AFL. The analysis emphasized demographic variations (age, sex), socioeconomic disparities (as indexed by the sociodemographic index, SDI), and major modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, and lifestyle choices.
Results: This study revealed a significant global increase in AF/AFL-related mortality, exceeding 63,000 deaths in 2019—an increase of 2.42% since 1990. DALYs exhibited a parallel upward trajectory. Notably, the AF/AFL burden increase was more pronounced in regions with lower SDIs, indicating marked health outcome disparities. A high body mass index (BMI) was identified as a predominant modifiable risk factor, highlighting the increasing impact of lifestyle-related health challenges. Moreover, mortality rate disparities were evident across different sex and age groups, with the highest rates among women and individuals aged 85-89 years.
Conclusion: The increasing global burden of AF/AFL, especially associated with higher BMI, necessitates immediate public health interventions. These findings underscore the urgency for targeted preventive strategies focusing on lifestyle modifications and enhanced healthcare access, particularly in lower-SDI regions and among vulnerable populations.