A prospective registry was made of all patients hospitalized with atrial fibrillation (AF) in the State of Qatar from 1991 to 2010. Clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes were compared according to ethnicity (Middle Eastern Arab vs South Asian). During this 20-year period, 2857 Arabs and 548 Asians were hospitalized for AF. Arabs were 9 years older and more likely to have hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic renal impairment, and dyslipidemia than the Asians. Valvular heart disease and acute coronary syndromes were more common among Asians, while congestive heart failure was more common in Arabs. The overall inhospital mortality was lower in Asians than that of Arabs, while stroke rates were comparable. There was an increase in the prevalence of DM and hypertension in both the groups in the latter years of the study period, but there was no change in mortality trends. Our findings underscore the need to study AF according to ethnicity.
Keywords: Arabs; Asian; atrial fibrillation; ethnicity; prevalence; trends.