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Article History

Received: 13 May 2021

Accepted: 7 December 2021

First Online: 18 December 2021

Declarations

:

: The research project has been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The ethics committee at Lund’s University, Lund, approved the study (LU 51/90), and all participants provided written informed consent, with the purpose of studying risk factors for CVDs and other chronic conditions. Ethical approval has been obtained to perform the physical examinations in between 1991 and 1996. Ethical approval has also been obtained to follow-up patients using the HDR and the CDR-registers. This study meets the purpose of the initial purpose with the study, since it investigates risk factor for AF, which is one of the major CVDs. This project did not put individuals at any medical risk, since no new examinations were performed, but only analysis of already existing data. However, data about health in individuals is sensitive information since it risks of putting individual integrity at risk. In this study, each analysis was performed on unidentifiable data, where each subject was coded. Only password protected computers were used. Both these actions minimize the risk of compromising on the integrity of any individual. All data is presented on group level. No single study-participant will be identifiable. Since AF is a major risk factor for stroke, heart failure and mortality, and since AF is a preventable and potentially reversible condition, we conclude that the risks with this study were minimal and that potential gained knowledge outweigh these risks. All individuals have given consent to their data being used in this kind of research projects.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.