Prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disorder and atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, they frequently coexist and their prevalences increase rapidly with aging. Hypertension is the main risk factor for the development of AF due to progression of structural changes, neuro-hormonal activation, fibrosis and atherosclerosis. The presence of AF with high blood pressure leads to an abrupt increase of cardiovascular complications. Hypertension is an important factor in the different risk models that are available for the risk stratification and prevention of thromboembolism in patients with AF. Antihypertensive treatment reduces the risk and some antihypertensive drug classes may be superior to others in the prevention of new onset-AF and prevention of stroke.