title: Diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation: Pathophysiological mechanisms and potential upstream therapies.
abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents one of the most important risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) while AF is a strong and independent marker of overall mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in diabetic patients. Autonomic, electrical, electromechanical, and structural remodeling, including oxidative stress, connexin remodeling and glycemic fluctuations seem to be implicated in AF pathophysiology in the setting of DM. The present review highlights the association between DM and AF, provides a comprehensive overview of the responsible pathophysiological mechanisms and briefly discusses potential upstream therapies for DM-related atrial remodeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Grevena, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Goudis
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, Greece. Electronic address: p.korantzopoulos@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korantzopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Ntalas
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Heraklion University Hospital, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleftherios M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kallergis
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tanjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Interbalkan Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ketikoglou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Atrial remodeling; Diabetes mellitus; Upstream therapies