Introduction:

Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent cardiac arrhythmia. It is responsible for an important proportion of embolic strokes and is associated with the development of congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. In Colombia, atrial fibrillation is highly costly for the healthcare system; however, its true prevalence is unknown.

Objective:

To describe the prevalence of atrial fibrillation reported to the official information systems in Colombia.

Method:

We calculated the prevalence of atrial fibrillation through the extraction, tabulation and analysis of data contained in the Integral Information System for Social Protection tool, which was created by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Colombia. Global and age-standardized prevalence rates were obtained for the period between years 2013 and 2017.

Results:

A total of 143,656 cases were identified. These were reported through the ICD-10 code I48X, corresponding to atrial fibrillation. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation increased from 41 to 87 cases per 100,000 inhabitants between years 2013 and 2017 (p < 0.001). In Colombia, atrial fibrillation is more frequent among women, and individuals over the age of 60 (606/100,000 in 2017). The departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Santander and Bogotá D.C had zones with prevalence greater than 150/100,000.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that atrial fibrillation displays an upward trend in Colombia. Its prevalence is higher in women and urban centers. The latter may be due to the higher proportion of older patients and better access to healthcare in these subgroups.

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