Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Greece: the Arcadia Rural Study on Atrial Fibrillation.

Introduction Atrial fi brillation (AF) is a major factor for stroke and stroke-associated mortality, and its incidence is increasing during the last decades. There are only scarce data about its prevalence in Greece. We designed an epidemiological cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of AF in Greece and evaluate the adequacy of anticoagulant treatment in AF patients. Subjects and methods The Arcadia Rural Study on Atrial Fibrillation (ARSAF) was conducted between 2002-2003 in fi ve rural villages of the Arcadia province (Greece) with a permanent population of 1312 individuals. Patients had a thorough medical examination and electrocardiogram, and information was collected about their medical history and comorbidities. CHADS2 score was used to determine stroke risk for participants with AF. Results 1155 subjects (88% of the entire population) participated in the study. The overall prevalence of AF was 3.9% showing an increasing trend with increasing age ranging from 0.4% in patients 84 years. Among patients with AF, 14 (32%) had paroxysmal AF. The presence of AF was associated with increasing age (OR: 1.67 for every 10 years increase, 95% CI: 1.26-2.15), hypertension (OR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.02-4.14), heart failure (OR: 11.85, 95% CI: 4.92-28.56) and prior cerebrovascular disease (OR: 4.17, 95% CI: 1.44-12.06). Among these subjects with AF, 12 (26.6%) were considered as low-risk (CHADS 2 = 0), 18 (40.0%) as intermediate-risk (CHADS 2 = 1), and 15 (33.3%) as high-risk (CHADS 2 > 1) patients for stroke. 25 (55.5%) patients with AF did not receive appropriate antithrombotic treatment. Conclusion The prevalence of AF in Greece is similar to other countries and increases with increasing age.