EDITORIAL Risk predictors for lone atrial fibrillation

This editorial refers to ‘Physical activity, height, and left atrial size are independent risk factors for lone atrial fibrillation in middle-aged healthy individuals ’ by Lluı́s Mont et al., on page 15 Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest sustained tachyar-rhythmia, with a substantial morbidity and mortality. However, AF is commonly associated with a number of cardiac and non-cardiac risk factors including ischaemic heart disease, cardiac failure, valvular heart disease, hyper-tension, diabetes, alcohol abuse, thyroid disorders, and pul-monary disease.1 It has been estimated that up to 80 % of people presenting with AF have structural or organic heart disease,2 and such cases have been referred to as ‘patholo-gic AF’. Clearly, this prevalence may differ in different study populations, where the so-called ‘pathologic AF ’ may be les