Gender differences in symptoms and functional status in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation.

Background: Catheter ablation improves symptoms and quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF); however, despite its benefit, women are less likely than men to undergo catheter ablation. Women with AF have been described to have more frequent and severe symptoms with a lower quality of life than men, and it is therefore unclear why women are less likely to undergo catheter ablation. We prospectively characterized gender differences in AF symptoms among men and women undergoing ablation at UNC using questionnaire data.