Lone atrial fibrillation: what do we know?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. Despite the common association of AF with cardiovascular disease, some patients can be classified as 'lone AF'. The latter is essentially a diagnosis of exclusion, and should be preceded by careful evaluation, including thorough collection of medical history, physical examination, blood pressure measurement, laboratory tests, ECG, echocardiography and, possibly, chest x-ray and exercise testing. Lone AF patients were initially thought to have a good prognosis with respect to thromboembolism and mortality, compared with the general AF population, but more recent data suggest otherwise. This review focuses on the clinical epidemiology and management aspects of lone AF, as well as various associated novel risk factors, such as familial, genetic and socioeconomic factors, alcohol, sports activity and biochemical markers.
Kozlowski
Dariusz
D
Department of Hypertension, University Hospital No 2 Lodz, Medical University of Lodz, Poland, Zeromskiego 113, Lodz 90-549, Poland.
Budrejko
Szymon
S
Lip
Gregory Y H
GY
Rysz
Jacek
J
Mikhailidis
Dimitri P
DP
Raczak
Grzegorz
G
Banach
Maciej
M
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000925:Anticoagulants; D015415:Biomarkers