Key result
Anxiety may act as an independent risk factor and trigger for atrial fibrillation by creating an arrhythmogenic substrate and modulating the autonomic nervous system.
Why the study?
While anxiety is known to be elevated among AF patients, little information is known regarding whether anxiety can trigger atrial fibrillation.
Does anxiety act as a trigger or independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation?
Does anxiety act as a trigger or independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation?
Awareness of anxiety disorders as a risk factor for AF may lead to the development of new clinical strategies for its management.
Does not yet support anxiety screening to prevent AF; leaves open need for prospective trials to confirm causality.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most widely recognized arrhythmia. Systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart failure, and valvular heart diseases are major risk factors for the onset and progression of AF. Various studies have emphasized the augmented anxiety rate among AF patients due to the poor quality of life; however, little information is known about the possibility of triggering atrial fibrillation by anxiety. The present review sought to underline the possible pathophysiological association between AF and anxiety disorders and suggests that anxiety can be an independent risk factor for AF, acting as a trigger, creating an arrhythmogenic substrate, and modulating the autonomic nervous system. The awareness of the role of anxiety disorders as a risk factor for AF may lead to the development of new clinical strategies for the management of AF.
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Severino et al. (2019) conducted a review in Atrial fibrillation. Anxiety was evaluated on Pathophysiological association between AF and anxiety disorders. Anxiety may act as an independent risk factor and trigger for atrial fibrillation by creating an arrhythmogenic substrate and modulating the autonomic nervous system.
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