Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2022; 118(4): 743-744

Obesity and Epicardial Fat Associated with Higher Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Ablation: Just Coincidence?

Cristiano F. Pisani , Mauricio Scanavacca

DOI: 10.36660/abc.20220103

This Short Editorial is referred by the Research article "The Relationship between Epicardial Fat and Atrial Fibrillation Cannot Be Fully Explained by Left Atrial Fibrosis".

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice, and its prevalence increases with age. It is a condition resulting from multiple pathophysiological aspects, not exclusively electrophysiological, from extrasystoles triggered by the pulmonary veins. It is associated with different cardiovascular and systemic diseases, obesity being a known risk factor.

Overweight and obese individuals are at greater risk for the occurrence of AF. For each unit of increment in BMI, the corrected risk for incidence of AF increases from 3 to 7% concerning individuals with a BMI below 25.^, The mechanisms that justify this observation are not fully understood and are probably multifactorial. Obese patients often have arterial hypertension and associated obstructive sleep apnea, factors already considered predisposing to AF. A recent study demonstrated that implementing a weight control program has an important impact on the clinical control of this arrhythmia.

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