In 30 years of follow-up of 5,209 participants in the Framingham Study, 193 men and 183
women developed atrial fibrillation (AF). Among this group," lone" AF occurred in 32 men
and 11 women free of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, rheumatic heart
disease, and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. To determine the characteristics and
prognosis of lone AF, each case was matched to controls in the remaining Framingham
sample. Comparisons indicated that levels of several risk factors associated with coronary …