Key result
Sleep apnea is highly associated with atrial fibrillation, with evidence suggesting that apnea induces hyperactivity of the cardiac autonomic nervous system, leading to increased AF susceptibility.
Why the study?
Sleep apnea is highly associated with AF, but the mechanistic underpinnings contributing to their association remain uncertain.
The cardiac autonomic nervous system plays a fundamental role in mediating atrial fibrillation susceptibility during sleep apnea, highlighting cardiac afferents as a potential therapeutic target.
May support integrated AF-sleep apnea care; hypothesis-generating for autonomic-targeted therapies.
Sleep apnea is highly associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), and both diseases are highly prevalent in the United States. The mechanistic underpinnings that contribute to their association remain uncertain, but numerous possible mechanisms have been proposed, including dysfunction of the cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS). Studies have reported that apnea induces hyperactivity of the ANS, leading to increases in AF susceptibility. This review compiles the latest evidence on the role of the ANS in sleep-apnea-induced AF.
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Tavares et al. (2021) conducted a review in Sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation. Sleep apnea is highly associated with atrial fibrillation, with evidence suggesting that apnea induces hyperactivity of the cardiac autonomic nervous system, leading to increased AF susceptibility.
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