Natural History and Patient Journey in Atrial Fibrillation: a Nationwide Linked Electronic Health Records Study of 5.6 Million Individuals.

The trajectory of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients within the national health system and their recent temporal trends remains to be fully elucidated. To study the AF incidence, mortality and case-fatality, the investigators implemented a longitudinal cohort study with the linked electronic health records of 5.6 million population in the UK from 1998 to 2016 (CALIBER). A matched case-control study design was used to investigate the causes of hospitalization and death comparing individuals with and without incident AF.