Bereavement in childhood and young adulthood and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a population-based cohort study from Denmark and Sweden.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Adverse childhood life events are associated with increased risks of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and stroke later in life. Limited evidence also suggests that stress in adulthood may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether childhood adversity may lead to the development of AF is unknown. We investigated whether the loss of a parent or sibling in childhood is associated with an increased risk of AF and compared this effect to that of similar losses in young adulthood.

Methods

We studied 6,394,975 live-born individuals included in the Danish (1973-2018) and Swedish Medical Birth Registers (1973-2014). We linked data from several national registers to obtain information on the death of parents and siblings and on personal and familial sociode

SUBMITTER: Chen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9814172 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature