The prevalence data for atrial fibrillation (AF) are dated. The present retrospective
study estimated the current and projected prevalence of AF and atrial flutter (AFL)
in the United States using a large national database. Claims data drawn from July
2004 to December 2005 from the MarketScan research databases from Thomson Reuters
were used to identify patients aged >or=20 years with nontransient AF and/or AFL and
age- and gender-matched controls without these conditions. Of the 21,648,681 patients
in the databases, 242,903 (1.12%) had nontransient AF and/or AFL (222,605 AF only,
5,376 AFL only, and 14,922 AF and AFL). Patients with AF only, AFL only, and AF and
AFL had a greater (p <0.001) prevalence of co-morbidities, including hypertension
(62.0%, 61.3%, and 57.0%, respectively) and coronary artery disease (43.0%, 44.7%,
and 44.5%, respectively), than matched controls (45.1% hypertension and 19.4% coronary
artery disease). Applying the US Census Bureau population estimates to the prevalence
rates for AF and/or AFL in the databases, it was estimated that 3.03 million persons
in the United States had AF only, 0.07 million had AFL only, and 0.19 million had
AF and AFL in 2005. The projected prevalence for 2050 was 7.56 million for AF only,
0.15 million for AFL only, and 0.44 million for AF and AFL. In conclusion, the current
prevalence of AF and AFL is high and is projected to increase considerably by 2050.
The current and projected increases in the prevalence of AF are greater than predicted
by a previous sentinel study and might reflect more than the aging of the population.