The effect of angiotensin receptor blockers for preventing atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice, and causes significant burden to patients and health care systems. Clinicians treat existing atrial fibrillation with anticoagulation and/or drugs that utilize either a rate or rhythm control strategy. It remains unclear how best to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population. Prevention of atrial fibrillation using angiotensin receptor blockers, which affect ion currents and refractoriness in atrial myocytes, regress or prevent atrial fibrosis, decrease left atrial size, regress left ventricular hypertrophy, modulate sympathetic nerve activity, reduce inflammation, and reduce blood pressure, may become an important and desirable alternative.
Department of Cardiology B2142, Rigshospitalet, The Heart Center, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. kristian@wachtell.net
Kristian
K
Wachtell
Richard B
RB
Devereux
And Paulette A
AP
Lyle
D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors
D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers