In this paper, the association of type 2 diabetes to the increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation was examined. The study sample included a large cohort of 34 744 patients with or without diabetes who were followed for 7.2 years. After matching for age and sex, atrial fibrillation was found to be 44% more prevalent and 38% more likely to develop in diabetic patients than in controls. However, after controlling for other risk factors, type 2 diabetes was associated with a 26% increased risk of atrial fibrillation among women, whereas the relationship was not significant in men. This increased susceptibility to atrial fibrillation among diabetic women is a novel finding and further investigations of the mechanisms linking type 2 diabetes to atrial fibrillation are needed.
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