The incidences of atrial fibrillation (AF) in young adults have increased over the past decade. However, the known risk factors do not explain the substantial proportion of these incidences 1 . This knowledge gap has triggered further investigations in this area.
A large population-based study (n = 8,012,433) evaluated whether preterm , small for gestational age (SGA), and large for gestational age (LGA) births can increase the risk of AF later in life 2 as restricted and excessive fetal growth have been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. AF risk increased by 25% in preterm SGA births, 31% in preterm AGA births, 55% in term LGA births, and 71% in preterm LGA births compared to term appropriate for gestational age (AGA) births. While a higher risk of AF was associated with preterm and LGA births up to 49 years of age, it was associated with SGA births only during…
