Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association, held from April 7 to 9 in Berlin.

The study, conducted by Kyung-Yeon Lee and colleagues from Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea, analyzed data from 400,493 adults aged 40 to 69 years participating in the U.K. Biobank.

Of the participants, 21 percent reported exposure to SHS in the previous year, with an average exposure of 2.2 hours per week. Over a median follow-up of 12.5 years, AF developed in 6 percent of participants. Even after adjusting for various factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diabetes, hypertension, lipid levels, and socioeconomic status, individuals exposed to SHS still had a 6 percent higher risk of AF.

Moreover, each additional hour of passive smoking per week was associated with a further increased risk of AF, with 7.8 hours of passive smoking per week linked to an 11 percent higher likelihood of AF compared to no exposure to SHS.

Lee emphasized the significance of these findings, stating, "The hazards of secondhand smoke were evident irrespective of whether individuals were exposed at home, outdoors, or in the workplace, indicating a universal elevation in the risk of atrial fibrillation due to exposure. It is imperative that we all take measures to avoid spending time in environments with tobacco smoke."