Nationwide Epidemiology and Management Time Trends for Atrial Fibrillation Insights From the Korean AF Factsheet

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) represents the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice, with its incidence rising globally. Korea's comprehensive national health insurance system facilitates the meticulous collection and management of health care utilization data for its entire population. This robust data infrastructure has enabled numerous recent studies on AF in Korea, encompassing its prevalence, incidence, anticoagulation treatment rates, health care burden, and associated complications. A comprehensive understanding of AF epidemiology and patient characteristics is essential for enhancing both primary and secondary prevention strategies and improving clinical outcomes. This review presents an up-to-date analysis of AF epidemiology, patient demographics, and treatment modalities in Korea, drawing from the extensive Korea National Health Insurance Service database. (JACC Asia. 2025;5:947-962) (c) 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/).