Atrial fibrillation causes

Overview
The most common cause of atrial fibrillation is atrial dilation associated with hypertension. Approximately 1/3 of patients have familial atrial fibrillation which is due to an underlying genetic disorder. Given the number of patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting in the developed world, this is an increasing underlying cause of atrial fibrillation. Other general causes include the advancing age of the population this hemodynamic stress of heart failure and valvular heart disease, myocardial ischemia, a variety of inflammatory disorders, pulmonary diseases, alcohol and drug abuse, and endocrine disorders.

Differential Diagnosis of the Underlying Causes of Atrial Fibrillation
(By organ system)

Complete List of Underlying Causes of Atrial Fibrillation
(In alphabetical order)
 * Acute myocardial infarction
 * Age increase. 4% of those over 60 years and 8% of those over 80 years of age have atrial fibrillation.
 * Albuminuria
 * Alcohol and alcohol withdrawal
 * Atherosclerosis
 * Atrial ischemia or atrial infarction
 * Atrial myxoma
 * Atrial septal defect
 * Breath spray which contains alcohol
 * Bronchogenic carcinoma
 * Caffeine
 * Cardiac tumors
 * Cardiomyopathy
 * Channelopaties particularly abnormalities in the sodium channels
 * Cocaine
 * Coffee
 * Collagen vascular disease
 * Congestive heart failure
 * Constrictive pericarditis
 * Conivaptan
 * Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
 * Coronary Artery Disease
 * Diabetes
 * Dilated cardiomyopathy
 * Electrolyte disturbance
 * Endocarditis
 * Esophageal surgery
 * Ethanol
 * Familial atrial fibrillation type 1
 * Familial atrial fibrillation type 3
 * Genetics
 * HOCM
 * Hypertension
 * Hyperthyroidism
 * Hypothermia
 * Hypothyroidism
 * Hypoxia
 * Interleukin 11
 * Left ventricular hypertrophy
 * Lung cancer
 * Lutembacher syndrome
 * Methamphetamines
 * Mitral regurgitation
 * Mitral stenosis
 * Myocardial infarction
 * Myocarditis
 * Obesity
 * Pericarditis and pericardial disease in general
 * Pheochromocytoma
 * Pneumonia
 * Porfimer sodium
 * Pulmonary embolism
 * Pulmonary hypertension
 * Renal insufficiency
 * Rheumatic fever
 * Sarcoidosis
 * ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
 * Stimulants
 * Stroke
 * Subarachnoid hemorrhage
 * Tea
 * Tricuspid regurgitation
 * Tricuspid stenosis
 * Unstable angina
 * Valvular heart disease

Loan Atrial Fibrillation
In about 10% of patients no underlying cause is identified. This condition is called lone atrial fibrillation.