Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common and serious arrhythmias in clinical practice. With the intensification of social development and population aging in my country, the incidence of atrial fibrillation has gradually increased, and it has shown a younger trend. So, which groups of people are prone to atrial fibrillation?
1.The population of hypertensive patients
Epidemiological studies have shown that hypertension is the most important risk factor in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients with long-term hypertension and poor blood pressure control have a significantly increased risk of atrial fibrillation, which may be related to increased left atrial pressure, atrial fibrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Regarding the choice of different types of antihypertensive drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of atrial fibrillation.
2.The population of diabetic patients
Diabetes is a disease that often coexists with atrial fibrillation. It can cause atrial fibrosis, slow electrical conduction, and promote atrial remodeling, but existing studies have shown that aggressive blood sugar control does not affect the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation. In terms of drug choice, metformin appears to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke in diabetic patients.
3.People who are overweight or obese
Being overweight or obese leads to significant atrial remodeling and is a risk factor for AF episodes and recurrence after catheter ablation. For every 1 increase in BMI, the incidence of atrial fibrillation increased by 3% to 7%, and the recurrence rate of catheter ablation increased by 3.1%. Obesity is also associated with higher radiation doses and complication rates during catheter ablation. Several recent studies have shown that weight control can reduce the burden of atrial fibrillation. For obese patients with atrial fibrillation, if the body weight can be reduced by more than 10%, and the weight is stable, the survival rate without atrial arrhythmia events can be increased by 6 times. Therefore, aggressive weight management is beneficial for patients with AF.
4.sleep apnea patient population
In the general population aged 30 to 60, about 24% of men and 9% of women have sleep apnea. The proportion of patients with atrial fibrillation complicated by sleep apnea is as high as 32% to 39%. Epidemiological statistics show that the incidence and progression of atrial fibrillation are positively correlated with the severity of sleep apnea. The possible mechanisms that make patients with sleep apnea more prone to atrial fibrillation include hypoxemia, autonomic dysfunction, and hypercapnia. Compared with patients with normal atrial fibrillation, patients with sleep apnea had more trigger foci outside the pulmonary veins and had a higher recurrence rate after catheter ablation.
5.long-term alcohol intake
Alcohol intake is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation, thromboembolic events, and recurrence after catheter ablation. The more frequent the drinking, the higher the corresponding risk of developing the disease. Alcohol toxicity can lead to myocardial fibrosis, which results in scarring of the left atrium and triggering foci outside the pulmonary veins. Limiting alcohol consumption should be an important part of the management of patients with atrial fibrillation.
6.People who exercise too little or too much
Both too little and too much exercise increases the risk of atrial fibrillation. The mechanism may be related to inflammation, fibrosis and so on. A sedentary lifestyle increases the incidence of atrial fibrillation fivefold. Increasing activity intensity in such patients may reduce their risk. One study showed that people with atrial fibrillation reduced their atrial fibrillation burden by 41% after just 12 weeks of moderate-intensity exercise. Another study in endurance athletes showed that prolonged high-intensity endurance exercise was associated with a 5-fold increase in the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Such patients usually have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with obvious symptoms and structural changes such as cardiac enlargement and ventricular hypertrophy. Therefore, advocating moderate exercise may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Plus1Health has an ECG patch, which is equipped with the “TiNew” applet, which can screen for atrial fibrillation. There is also a free app for measuring atrial fibrillation— “AFibCheck”, which can be downloaded and used by searching in the mobile app store, and the operation is simple and convenient.
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