Does atrial fibrillation manifest itself differently in women than in men? – time.news

2023-05-15 07:37:45

Of Stephanie Riva

Women experience the presence of arrhythmia more frequently and with greater intensity than men, in whom it can also occur in a totally asymptomatic form

I am familiar with atrial fibrillation: are there any specific symptoms and risk factors for women?

He answers Stephanie RivaArrhythmology Operational Unit, Monzino Cardiological Center, Milan (VAI AL FORUM)

Thanks also to the impetus given by the work of many female researchers, studies have been published in the last decade which have made it possible to begin to identify the differences between males and females, also in the field of atrial fibrillation
. Today it is known that cases are generally more frequent in males, increase with age and the concomitant presence of other cardiac and non-cardiac diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, heart valve disease, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea. However, although the factors that increase the probability of getting atrial fibrillation are practically the same in both sexes, the clinical presentation, i.e. the symptoms with which it manifests, are very different. Women experience the presence of arrhythmia more frequently and with higher intensity compared to men, in which it can also occur in a totally asymptomatic form.

Not only that, more often in women presents itself in its “paroxysmal” form, that is, in which the regular rhythm alternates at more or less long intervals with the arrhythmia. For these and other reasons, atrial fibrillation significantly worsens the quality of life in women compared to what happens in men. Also any complications of fibrillation, such as cerebral ischemia or heart dysfunction, are generally more severe in women. A study published in the authoritative journal Jama followed more than 25,000 healthy people over the age of 65, equally distributed in both sexes, for over five years to see if there are differences between males and females regarding risk factors for atrial fibrillation. It turned out that females are less likely to get atrial fibrillation than males.

However, when only height is taken into consideration, it is noted that taller females are more likely to get sick than males. Body size therefore plays an important role in predicting the onset of fibrillation. If, on the other hand, only the Bmi (the body mass index), an indicator of adiposity, is taken into consideration, we see on the contrary that the higher it is, the greater the frequency of atrial fibrillation in men. There are also important differences between the sexes when it comes to treatment: unfortunately catheter ablation is less effective in women and moreover it is carried out later and less frequently than in men.

May 15, 2023 (change May 15, 2023 | 07:36)

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