Background:Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in the elderly, and causes complications such as cardioembolic stroke. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, has been reported to be a risk factor for developing AF in Western countries. However, few community-based studies have examined this issue in general Asian populations.

Methods and Results:A total of 2,510 community-dwelling Japanese participants aged ≥40 years without a history of AF were divided into 4 groups according to the sex-specific quartiles of serum hs-CRP concentrations (Q1, lowest and Q4, highest) and followed up for 24 years. The hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for the development of AF were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. During the follow up, 234 subjects developed AF. The risk of AF increased significantly with elevating serum hs-CRP levels after adjustment for potential confounding factors (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], Q1, 1.00 [reference]; Q2, 1.26 [0.83–1.92]; Q3, 1.77 [1.18–2.66]; and Q4, 1.89 [1.24–2.86]; P for trend <0.001).

Conclusions:The study findings suggest that elevated serum hs-CRP levels are an independent risk factor for the development of AF in a general Japanese population.

背景：心房颤动（AF）是老年人常见的心律失常，可引起心源性卒中等并发症。据报道，血清高敏 C 反应蛋白 (hs-CRP) 是全身炎症的标志物，是西方国家发生 AF 的危险因素。然而，很少有基于社区的研究在一般亚洲人群中研究过这个问题。

方法和结果：根据血清 hs-CRP 浓度的性别特异性四分位数（Q1，最低和 Q4，最高）将 2,510 名年龄≥40 岁且无房颤病史的日本社区居民分为 4 组，随访 24 年。使用 Cox 比例风险模型估计发生 AF 的风险比及其 95% 置信区间。在随访期间，234 名受试者发展为 AF。调整潜在混杂因素后，随着血清 hs-CRP 水平升高，房颤风险显着增加（风险比 [95% 置信区间]，Q1，1.00 [参考]；Q2，1.26 [0.83–1.92]；Q3，1.77 [1.18 –2.66]；和第四季度，1.89 [1.24–2.86]；P 表示趋势 <0.001)。

结论：研究结果表明，血清 hs-CRP 水平升高是日本普通人群发生 AF 的独立危险因素。