Obesity and Atrial Fibrillation Prevalence, Pathogenesis, and Prognosis: Effects of Weight Loss and Exercise

Abstract

Both obesity and atrial fibrillation (AF) are increasing in epidemic proportions, and both increase the prevalence of cardiovascular disease events. Obesity has adverse effects on cardiovascular hemodynamics and cardiac structure and function, and increases the prevalence of AF, partly related to electroanatomic remodeling in obese patients. However, numerous studies, including in AF, have demonstrated an obesity paradox, where overweight and obese patients with these disorders have a better prognosis than do leaner patients with the same degree of severity of cardiovascular disease/AF. In this paper, the authors discuss special issues regarding AF in obesity, as well as the evidence that despite the presence of an obesity paradox, there are benefits of weight loss, physical activity/exercise training, and increases in cardiorespiratory fitness on the prognosis of obese patients with AF.

Keywords: cardiac arrhythmia; cardiovascular diseases; fat; fitness; heart rhythm.