Studies demonstrating an increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) in individuals practising endurance sports
| Studies | Type of study | % Men | Age | Type of sports | Cases/controls | OR (95% CI) for AF in sport practitioners |
| Kaarjalainen et al | Longitudinal case/control | 100% | 47±5 runners 49±5 controls | Orienteering | 262/373 | 5.5 (1.3 to 24.4) |
| Mont et al | Retrospective/compared to general population | 100% | 44±13 sports 49±11 non-sports | Endurance sports >3 h/week | 70 lone AF | 61% of subjects with lone AF |
| Elosua et al | Retrospective case/control | 100% | 41±13 AF patients 44±11 controls | Endurance sports Current practice and >1500 cumulated hours of practice | 51/109 | 2.87 (1.39 to 7.05) adjusted for age and hypertension |
| Heidbuchel et al | Case/control in patients undergoing flutter ablation | 83% | 53±9 sports 60±10 controls | Cycling, running or swimming >3 hours/week | 31/106 | 1.81 (1.10 to 2.98) |
| Molina et al | Longitudinal case/control | 100% | 39±9 runners 50±13 sedentary | Marathon running | 252/305 | 8.80 (1.26 to 61.29) adjusted for age and blood pressure |
| Baldesberger et al | Longitudinal case/control | 100% | 67±7 cyclists 66±6 golfers | Cycling | 134/62 | 10% AF in cyclists 0% AF in controls |
| Mont et al GIRAFA study | Prospective case/control | 69% | 48±11 | Endurance sports | 107/107 | 7.31 (2.33 to 22.9) >550 h of cumulated heavy physical activity |
Reproduced with permission from Mont et al.14