Atrial Fibrillation among Patients Admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation is one of the commonest arrhythmias with an overall prevalence estimated to be 0.4-1% in the general population. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of atrial fibrillation among patients admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine in a tertiary care centre. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine in a tertiary care centre from 01 March 2021 to 01 March 2022. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: IRC- 478/2021). Convenience sampling method was used. Data were collected from the hospital records using a semi-structured study proforma including demography, clinical presentation, laboratory investigations, electrocardiogram, 2-dimension echocardiography, and CHA(2)DS(2-) VASc score. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. RESULTS: Among 27,980 patients, atrial fibrillation was found in 185 (0.66%) (0.58-0.77, 95% Confidence Interval). Among them 66 (35.67%) were in the age group of 61-70 years and 97 (52.43%) were females. Dyspnea was present in 149 (80.54%), palpitation in 137 (74.05%) and pedal edema in 117 (63.27%). Valvular atrial fibrillation was seen in 101 (54.59%) and non-valvular atrial fibrillation was seen in 84 (45.41%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation was found to be similar when compared to other studies conducted in similar settings.