The association between air pollution and the daily hospital visits for atrial fibrillation recorded by ECG: a case-crossover study

Abstract Background The relationship between air pollution and atrial fibrillation (AF) recorded by electrocardiograph (ECG) has not yet been illustrated which worsens AF precaution and treatment. This research evaluated the association between air pollution and daily hospital visits for AF with ECG records. Methods The study enrolled 4933 male and 5392 female patients whose ECG reports indicated AF from 2015 to 2018 in our hospital. Such data were then matched with meteorological data, including air pollutant concentrations, collected by local weather stations. A case-crossover study was performed to assess the relationship between air pollutants and daily hospital visits for AF recorded by ECG and to investigate its lag effect. Results Our analysis revealed statistically significant associations between AF occurrence and demographic data, including age and gender. This effect was stronger in female (k = 0.02635, p