|
1
|
Pucci G, Grillo A, Dalakleidi KV, Fraenkel E, Gkaliagkousi E, Golemati S, Guala A, Hametner B, Lazaridis A, Mayer CC, Mozos I, Pereira T, Veerasingam D, Terentes-Printzios D, Agnoletti D. Atrial Fibrillation and Early Vascular Aging: Clinical Implications, Methodology Issues and Open Questions-A Review from the VascAgeNet COST Action. J Clin Med 2024; 13:1207. [PMID: 38592046 PMCID: PMC10931681 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13051207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia, is associated with adverse CV outcomes. Vascular aging (VA), which is defined as the progressive deterioration of arterial function and structure over a lifetime, is an independent predictor of both AF development and CV events. A timing identification and treatment of early VA has therefore the potential to reduce the risk of AF incidence and related CV events. A network of scientists and clinicians from the COST Action VascAgeNet identified five clinically and methodologically relevant questions regarding the relationship between AF and VA and conducted a narrative review of the literature to find potential answers. These are: (1) Are VA biomarkers associated with AF? (2) Does early VA predict AF occurrence better than chronological aging? (3) Is early VA a risk enhancer for the occurrence of CV events in AF patients? (4) Are devices measuring VA suitable to perform subclinical AF detection? (5) Does atrial-fibrillation-related rhythm irregularity have a negative impact on the measurement of vascular age? Results showed that VA is a powerful and independent predictor of AF incidence, however, its role as risk modifier for the occurrence of CV events in patients with AF is debatable. Limited and inconclusive data exist regarding the reliability of VA measurement in the presence of rhythm irregularities associated with AF. To date, no device is equipped with tools capable of detecting AF during VA measurements. This represents a missed opportunity to effectively perform CV prevention in people at high risk. Further advances are needed to fill knowledge gaps in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Pucci
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Santa Maria University Hospital, 05100 Terni, Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Grillo
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Kalliopi V Dalakleidi
- Biomedical Simulations and Imaging (BIOSIM) Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece
| | - Emil Fraenkel
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of General Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, 04011 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Eugenia Gkaliagkousi
- 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Papageorgiou General Hospital, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Spyretta Golemati
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 10675 Athens, Greece
| | - Andrea Guala
- Vall d'Hebrón Research Institute (VHIR), 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER CV, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Bernhard Hametner
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Health & Bioresources, Medical Signal Analysis, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Antonios Lazaridis
- 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Papageorgiou General Hospital, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Christopher C Mayer
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Health & Bioresources, Medical Signal Analysis, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ioana Mozos
- Department of Functional Sciences-Pathophysiology, Center for Translational Research and Systems Medicine, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300173 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Telmo Pereira
- H&TRC-Health & Technology Research Center, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic University of Coimbra, 3000-331 Coimbra, Portugal
- Laboratory for Applied Research in Health (Labinsaúde), Polytechnic University of Coimbra, 3000-331 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Dave Veerasingam
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Galway University Hospitals, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
| | - Dimitrios Terentes-Printzios
- First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Davide Agnoletti
- Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
- Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, Medical and Surgical Sciences Department, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Arterial stiffness and atrial fibrillation: shared mechanisms, clinical implications and therapeutic options. J Hypertens 2022; 40:1639-1646. [PMID: 35943096 DOI: 10.1097/hjh.0000000000003223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Arterial stiffness (AS) and atrial fibrillation (AF) share commonalities in molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms and numerous studies have analyzed their reciprocal influence. The gold standard for AS diagnosis is represented by aortic pulse wave velocity, whose measurement can be affected by arrhythmias characterized by irregularities in heart rhythm, such as AF. Growing evidence show that patients with AS are at high risk of AF development. Moreover, the subset of AF patients with AS seems to be more symptomatic and rhythm control strategies are less effective in this population. Reducing AS through de-stiffening interventions may be beneficial for patients with AF and can be a new appealing target for the holistic approach of AF management. In this review, we discuss the association between AS and AF, with particular interest in shared mechanisms, clinical implications and therapeutic options.
Collapse
|