Meteorological Influence on Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter, A Nationwide Observational Study

BackgroundThe impact of meteorological factors, including atmospheric temperature, humidity, wind speed, and others, on the incidence of atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF) has been the subject of several studies, but the findings have been inconsistent. Given the complex and multifaceted nature of this relationship, a larger-scale study was necessary to provide sufficient statistical power and elucidate potential associations between them. MethodsThe South Korean government provides open access to national health insurance and weather data for its more than 50 million citizens from January 2010 to July 2022. The national health insurance data includes the monthly number of patients diagnosed with a specific condition, reflecting the incidence and prevalence of the condition. Pearson correlation analyses were performed using the statistical analysis software SAS for Academics to examine the association between each months national average climate data and the number of patients diagnosed with AF. ResultsThe number of patients diagnosed with AF in the total population showed a statistically significant correlation only with average wind speed (r=-0.42, 95% CI -0.55 to -0.28, p<0.001) and sunshine duration (r=0.27, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.41, p<0.001). Among females aged 20 to 24 years, there was a statistically significant association with other variables, including average temperature, precipitation, humidity, and atmospheric pressure (p<0.05). Diurnal temperature variation showed inconsistent associations across different age and sex groups. ConclusionsThe number of patients diagnosed with AF is negatively correlated with average wind speed and positively correlated with sunshine duration in the general population, particularly among the elderly. There was no significant association between the number of patients diagnosed with AF and average temperature, precipitation, or humidity, except for females aged 20 to 24 years, who exhibited a significant association with these variables. However, it is important to note that these correlations do not establish causality.