title: Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in athletes and may be associated with endurance sport practice. Atrial ectopic beats, chronic systemic inflammation, autonomic system alterations, anatomic adaptation, myocardial injury and illicit drugs seem to be implicated in the increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation in athletes, but clear evidence is lacking. Treatment of the arrhythmia is a challenging issue, as atrial fibrillation may impair athletic performances and deteriorate athletes' quality of life. This review focuses on the epidemiology, possible pathophysiological mechanisms, and management of atrial fibrillation in athletes.
authors.affiliation: From the *Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Grevena, Grevena, Greece; †Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece; and ‡Department of Cardiology, Interbalkan Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Goudis
authors.forename: Ioannis V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Ntalas
authors.forename: Dimitrios G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ketikoglou
mesh_terms: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018880:Atrial Premature Complexes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D064752:Atrial Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000379:methods; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015995:Prevalence; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors