AI Article Synopsis
- Atrial fibrillation is known to contribute to heart failure, often due to rapid heart rates, but recent studies suggest it may also involve a specific issue with the left ventricle itself.
- In a study of 40 patients with chronic non-valvular atrial fibrillation, they found elevated levels of B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), a marker for left-ventricular dysfunction, despite the absence of heart failure symptoms or detectable dysfunction on echocardiograms.
- After patients underwent electrical cardioversion, BNP levels dropped significantly, indicating that atrial fibrillation can cause unnoticed cardiac changes even when heart rates are low.
Article Abstract
It is well known that atrial fibrillation can lead to heart failure, and is attributed to rapid ventricular rate (tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy). Some recent studies suggest the possible existence of an intrinsic left-ventricular factor related to atrial fibrillation, irrespective of other elements. In order to demonstrate the implication of this factor, we measured B-type Natriuretic Peptide, known as a functional marker of left-ventricular dysfunction, in 40 consecutive patients with chronic non-valvular atrial fibrillation, with low ventricular rate and absence of clinical heart failure or echocardiographic left-ventricular dysfunction. In all patients, Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) plasma level was high and dramatically decreased 24 h after external electrical cardioversion (61.4 pg/ml before cardioversion, 23.5 pg/ml 1 day after cardioversion, P<0.002). Our study demonstrates that atrial fibrillation, in absence of high ventricular rate, induces an asymptomatic cardiac alteration that is not detectable by echocardiography.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1388-9842(02)00004-1 | DOI Listing |
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