Frequency of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Hypokalemia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i7.2919Keywords:
Atrial Fibrillation, Hypokalemia, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Smoking, Socioeconomic Factors, Epidemiology.Abstract
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Electrolyte disturbances, particularly hypokalemia, can alter cardiac electrical activity and may contribute to the development of arrhythmias. Identifying factors associated with atrial fibrillation in patients with hypokalemia may help improve prevention and management strategies. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 245 participants. Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics were collected and analyzed. Variables examined included age, gender, residence status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking status, and socioeconomic status. The relationship between these factors and the presence of atrial fibrillation was evaluated using statistical analysis, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 245 participants, 77 (31.4%) were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Most participants were aged 61–80 years (68.6%), and the gender distribution was nearly equal. Significant associations were observed between atrial fibrillation and residence status (p = 0.01), hypertension (p = 0.01), dyslipidemia (p = 0.01), smoking (p = 0.01), and socioeconomic status (p = 0.01). In contrast, age (p = 0.78), gender (p = 0.78), and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.11) were not significantly associated with atrial fibrillation. Conclusion: Atrial fibrillation was present in nearly one-third of the study population. The findings suggest that cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle characteristics may play an important role in the occurrence of atrial fibrillation among patients with hypokalemia.
Downloads
References
1. Trohman, R. G., Huang, H. D., & Sharma, P. S. (2023). Atrial fibrillation: Primary prevention, secondary prevention, and prevention of thromboembolic complications: Part 2. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 9.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1060096
2. Bordignon, S., Chiara Corti, M., & Bilato, C. (2012). Atrial Fibrillation Associated with Heart Failure, Stroke and Mortality. Journal of Atrial Fibrillation, 5(1), 467.
https://doi.org/10.4022/jafib.467
3. Singleton, M. J., Imtiaz‐Ahmad, M., Kamel, H., O'Neal, W. T., Judd, S. E., Howard, V. J., Howard, G., Soliman, E. Z., & Bhave, P. D. (2020). Association of atrial fibrillation without cardiovascular comorbidities and stroke risk: From the regards study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 9(12).
https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.120.016380
4. Leventopoulos, G., Koros, R., Travlos, C., Perperis, A., Chronopoulos, P., Tsoni, E., Koufou, E., Papageorgiou, A., Apostolos, A., Kaouris, P., Davlouros, P., & Tsigkas, G. (2023). Mechanisms of atrial fibrillation: How our knowledge affects clinical practice. Life, 13(6), 1260.
https://doi.org/10.3390/life13061260
5. Pellman, J., & Sheikh, F. (2015). Atrial fibrillation: Mechanisms, therapeutics, and future directions. Comprehensive Physiology, 649-665.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c140047
6. Aune, D., Mahamat-Saleh, Y., Kobeissi, E., Feng, T., Heath, A. K., & Janszky, I. (2023). Blood pressure, hypertension and the risk of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. European Journal of Epidemiology, 38(2), 145-178.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-022-00914-0
7. Lee, S. H., Park, S., Byeon, K., On, Y. K., Kim, J. S., Shin, D., Cho, J. G., Kim, Y., & Kim, Y. (2013). Risk factors between patients with lone and non-lone atrial fibrillation. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 28(8), 1174.
https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2013.28.8.1174
8. Rienstra, M., Lubitz, S. A., Mahida, S., Magnani, J. W., Fontes, J. D., Sinner, M. F., Van Gelder, I. C., Ellinor, P. T., & Benjamin, E. J. (2012). Symptoms and functional status of patients with atrial fibrillation. Circulation, 125(23), 2933-2943.
https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.111.069450
9. Thu Kyaw, M., & Maung, Z. M. (2022). Hypokalemia-induced arrhythmia: A case series and literature review. Cureus.
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.22940
10. Macdonald, J. E., & Struthers, A. D. (2004). What is the optimal serum potassium level in cardiovascular patients? Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 43(2), 155-161.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2003.06.021
11. Scirica, B. M., & Morrow, D. A. (2012). Potassium concentration and repletion in patients with acute myocardial infarction. JAMA, 307(2), 195.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.2003
12. Severi, S., Pogliani, D., Fantini, G., Fabbrini, P., Viganò, M. R., Galbiati, E., Bonforte, G., Vincenti, A., Stella, A., & Genovesi, S. (2010). Alterations of atrial electrophysiology induced by electrolyte variations: Combined computational and P-wave analysis. EP Europace, 12(6), 842-849.
https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euq042
13. Maheshwari, A., Norby, F. L., Soliman, E. Z., Alraies, M. C., Adabag, S., O'Neal, W. T., Alonso, A., & Chen, L. Y. (2017). Relation of prolonged P-wave duration to risk of sudden cardiac death in the general population (from the atherosclerosis risk in communities study). The American Journal of Cardiology, 119(9), 1302-1306.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2017.01.012
14. Rasmussen, M. U., Kumarathurai, P., Fabricius‐Bjerre, A., Larsen, B. S., Domínguez, H., Davidsen, U., Gerds, T. A., Kanters, J. K., & Sajadieh, A. (2020). P‐wave indices as predictors of atrial fibrillation. Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology, 25(5).
https://doi.org/10.1111/anec.12751
15. Saxena, N., Saxena, S., & Mathew, C. (2020). Study of impact and association of Serum Potassium Levels with the incidence of risk of Atrial Fibrillation. Int Arch Integr Med, 7(2), 12.
https://www.iaimjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/iaim_2020_0702_01.pdf
16. Saxena, N., Saxena, S., & Mathew, C. (2020). Study of impact and association of Serum Potassium Levels with the incidence of risk of Atrial Fibrillation. Int Arch Integr Med, 7(2), 12.
https://www.iaimjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/iaim_2020_0702_01.pdf
17. Krijthe, B. P., Heeringa, J., Kors, J. A., Hofman, A., Franco, O. H., Witteman, J. C., & Stricker, B. H. (2013). Serum potassium levels and the risk of atrial fibrillation. International Journal of Cardiology, 168(6), 5411-5415.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.08.048
18. Krijthe, B. P., Heeringa, J., Kors, J. A., Hofman, A., Franco, O. H., Witteman, J. C., & Stricker, B. H. (2013). Serum potassium levels and the risk of atrial fibrillation. International Journal of Cardiology, 168(6), 5411-5415.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.08.048
19. Cacioppo, F., Reisenbauer, D., Herkner, H., Oppenauer, J., Schuetz, N., Niederdoeckl, J., Schnaubelt, S., Gupta, S., Lutnik, M., Simon, A., Spiel, A. O., Buchtele, N., Domanovits, H., Laggner, A. N., & Schwameis, M. (2022). Association of intravenous potassium and magnesium administration with spontaneous conversion of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter in the emergency department. JAMA Network Open, 5(10), e2237234.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.37234
20. Phillips, C. T., Wang, J., Celi, L. A., Zhang, Z., & Feng, M. (2019). Association of hypokalemia with an increased risk for medically treated arrhythmias. PLOS ONE, 14(6), e0217432.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217432
21. Farah, R., Nassar, M., Aboraya, B., & Nseir, W. (2020). Low serum potassium levels are associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation. Acta Cardiologica, 76(8), 887-890.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00015385.2020.1799573
22. Wang, X., Wang, Y., Liu, J., Yao, J., Zhang, J., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Prognosis of older adult patients suffering from atrial fibrillation and Hypokalemia. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 18, 1363-1371.
https://doi.org/10.2147/cia.s422801
23. Rothman, K. J., Huybrechts, K. F., & Murray, E. J. (2024). Epidemiology.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Indus Journal of Bioscience Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
