Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Fine particulate matter constituents, greenness, and incident atrial fibrillation: joint effect with genetic susceptibility
- Prospective cohort study
- time-varying Cox models
- polygenic risk score
Authors' conclusion
Long-term exposure to PM2.5 constituents was positively associated with the incidence of AF, whereas greenness was inversely associated with it.
Study context
- Population
- UK adults
- Participants
- 411,364 adults
- Exposure
- Per IQR increase in PM2.5 constituents and greenness
- Outcome
- Incident AF
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident AF per IQR increase in exposure
Hazard ratio (95% CI)
EC
1.05(1.03–1.07)
OM
1.06(1.04–1.08)
NH4+
1.07(1.05–1.10)
NO3-
1.05(1.03–1.07)
SO42-
1.06(1.04–1.09)
NDVI300m
0.97(0.95–0.99)
NDVI500m
0.96(0.94–0.98)
NDVI1000m
0.95(0.94–0.97)
NDVI1500m
0.95(0.93–0.97)
Per IQR increase, as printed
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Mixture model contribution among PM2.5 constituents
- SO42- main contributor to AF
- 43.8%
Mediation
- Inverse greenness–AF association partially mediated by lower PM2.5 constituent exposure
Gene–exposure interaction and joint effect (polygenic risk score (PRS))
- High PRS with high PM2.5 constituents or low greenness: highest AF risk, hazard ratios (HRs) ranging from
- 3.14 (2.93, 3.37) to 3.26 (3.04, 3.51)
- Additive interactions between elemental carbon (EC), organic matter (OM), NH4+, NO3-, SO42-, NDVI1500m and PRS
Original publication
Fine particulate matter constituents, greenness, and incident atrial fibrillation: joint effect with genetic susceptibility. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 9 January 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag020
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it