Association Between Peripheral Artery Disease and Incident Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Strong Evidence Coming From Population-Based Cohort Studies

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is largely prevalent and evident among the general population. 1 PAD recognizes multiple risk factors, and it is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. 1 Similarly, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent and incident arrhythmia, associated with an increased risk for stroke and major cardiovascular outcomes. 2 In recent years, accumulating evidence suggests that a strong relationship exists between PAD and AF. 3 Both the conditions share similar major risk factors and common epidemiologic characteristics. Also, it is largely known that the concomitant presence of these conditions significantly increases the risk of major adverse events.(3)