Several factors are associated with increased likelihood of AF, including old age, being overweight, excess alcohol, smoking, and heart or pulmonary damage.7

Conditions increasing the risk of AF risk are many and include hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart conditions and heart surgery, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, physical and/or mental stress, asthma, lung cancer, pulmonary embolism, thyroid disease and adrenal gland tumour. 6,14

Many causes of heart failure also involve cardiac damage. Heart attacks, hypertension and cardiomyopathy are the most common causes, but other significant conditions include coronary heart disease, heart valve disease, arrythmias, congenital heart problems, endocarditis, anaemia, alcohol abuse, thyroid disease, some chemotherapy, and pulmonary hypertension.11,12

Amyloidosis is a relatively rare disease where abnormal amyloid proteins accumulate in organs and body tissues. If it occurs in the heart, when it is called cardiac amyloidosis or ‘stiff heart syndrome’, it can lead to heart failure.12