Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Smoking timing, genetic susceptibility, and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation: a large prospective cohort study
- Prospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Our findings suggest gradient inverse association between time from waking to the first cigarette and risk of incident AF, and the association is strengthened by the genetic susceptibility to AF.
Study context
- Population
- UK Biobank participants with detailed information on time from waking to first cigarette13,410 atrial fibrillation (AF) cases
- Participants
- 305,627 participants
- Exposure
- Time from waking to first cigarette vs non-smokers
- Outcome
- Incident AF
- Follow-up
- median 12.2-year follow-up
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Each group vs non-smokersAdjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)
>120 min
1.13(0.96–1.34)
61-120 min
1.20(1.01–1.42)
30-60 min
1.34(1.19–1.51)
5-15 min
1.43(1.26–1.63)
<5 min
1.49(1.24–1.63)
- Gradient inverse association of time to first cigarette with AF risk (P-trend)
- P for trend < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Modification by AF genetic susceptibility (weighted genetic risk score)
- Increased AF risk with shorter time to first cigarette strengthened by genetic susceptibility to AF
Original publication
Smoking timing, genetic susceptibility, and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation: a large prospective cohort study. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 23 August 2024. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwae270
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it