Occupational Quartz Exposure in a Population of Male Individuals-Association With Risk of Developing Atrial Fibrillation.

Objective: Occupational quartz exposure is a health risk, with increased risk of developing lung, autoimmune diseases, and elevated mortality in cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: The population was obtained from the period 2005 to 2016 and consisted of 5237 cases of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Quartz exposure information was obtained through a Swedish job exposure matrix.

Results: The risk of developing AF was increased for the quartz-exposed male population who were within a year of having commenced employment OR 1.54; (95% CI 1.06-2.24); this increased in the age group 20 to 55 (OR 2.05; CI 95% 1.02-4.10).

Conclusion: Our main conclusion is that quartz dust exposure may be related to increased risk of AF in high exposed (above 0.05 mg/m mean quartz dust) in men aged 20 to 55 years.