A nested case-control analysis was performed in the AF cohort to assess risk factors of death. We used all deceased AF patients as cases (n = 234) and used their death date as index date. The remaining alive AF patients (n = 801) were considered controls and we sampled a random date during their follow-up period that was used as their index date. Estimates of mortality risk and 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed using logistic regression. We collected recorded information on the following risk factors: smoking status, BMI, alcohol consumption, as well as prior history of heart failure (HF), ischaemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), hypertension and diabetes. We used both the information in the questionnaire and computerized files to ascertain the cause of death.