Jornal da Síndrome Metabólica

Atrial Fibrillation and Metabolic Syndrome: Correlation or Simple Coincidence?

Abstract

Giuseppe Riccardo Tona, Giovanna Evola, Salvatore Evola, Angelo Quagliana, Rosa Linda Trovato, Giuliana Pace, Vincenzo Sucato, Serena Magro, Giuseppina Novo and Salvatore Novo

Background: The atrial fibrillation (AF) is the iperkinetic arhytmia most frequently encountered in the general population. Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is a condition characterized by a set of cardiovascular risk factors that include: abdominal obesity, hypertension, impaired fast glucose, elevated tryglicerides and low HDL-C. We set out to analyze the impact of the MS has on our population looking to explain the reasons for the possible correlation with AF.

Methods: MS was defined according to the definition of the guidelines of NCEP-ATP III. 350 patients were enrolled in the Department of Cardiology of our University Polyclinic of Palermo. Among these patients, 149 (42.57%) had Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (PAF) and 201 (57.42%) had Chronic Atrial Fibrillation (CAF). We had two groups, the first 170 patients (48.57%) with AF and MS, and the second 180 patients (51.42%) with AF but without MS.

Results: In our population, there is not a significant difference in the prevalence of hypertension between group with MS and group without MS (p=0.52), while there is a significant difference in prevalence between the two groups in relation to other variables as overweight/obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertryglicerydemia and low HDL-C (p<0.0001).

Conclusions: Our results lead us to think that metabolic and hormonal disorder may be important in the pathogenesis of the CAF and in the maintenance of the arythimia, although by mechanisms not yet completely known. Inflammation and oxidative stress important for the MS have been proposed as etiologic factors also implicated in the pathogenesis of AF or at least maintaining.