Arrhythmias & electrophysiology

Physical activity and risk of adverse events in atrial fibrillation: evidence from European and Asian cohorts

EuropacePublished Post-hoc analysis of two prospective registries

Primary result · Composite of all-cause death and MACEResult — go to the resultHazard ratio 0.66 95% CI 0.56–0.78

Authors' conclusion

In patients with AF, self-reported physical activity is associated with a lower risk of adverse events, consistently across Europe and Asia.

Study context

Population
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in European and Asia-Pacific registries
Participants
13,126 patients
Comparison
Physically active vs physically inactive patients with AF
  • Activen = 3,639
  • Inactiven = 9,487reference
Primary endpoint
Composite of:
  • All-cause death
  • Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE)
Follow-up
Median 514 days
Methodological detailsEurope and Asia-Pacific
  • Europe and Asia-Pacific

Primary result

Composite of:

  • All-cause death
  • MACE

Hazard ratio

0.66

95% CI 0.56–0.78

Active vs Inactive
HR 0.66 (95% CI 0.56–0.78)

As reported in the abstract

Secondary outcomes

OutcomeHR (95% CI)
All-cause death0.52 (0.42–0.65)
MACE0.80 (0.65–0.99)
CV death0.60 (0.42–0.86)

Composite outcome by level of physical activity

Risk decreased progressively with increasing physical activity, no significant difference between Europeans and Asians
P for interaction = 0.845

Original publication

Physical activity and risk of adverse events in atrial fibrillation: evidence from European and Asian cohorts. Europace. Published 1 March 2026. doi:10.1093/europace/euag032

Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it

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