Stress and insomnia major drivers of atrial fibrillation in postmenopausal women : JAHA study

Recent findings published in JAHA, add to the growing body of evidence showing a close association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and the spectrum of psychosocial risk factors as grouped in the Stress Cluster and the Strain Cluster. The findings highlight the important role of mental health–related risk factors in AF pathophysiology and strategies for risk modification. The Stress Cluster included SLE, depressive symptoms, and insomnia. The Strain Cluster included optimism, social support, social strain, cynical hostility, and emotional expressiveness.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with high prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and economic burden.Some studies suggest sex‐specific differences in AF pathophysiology between men and women, and an association of AF with worse outcomes among women.

Reference: Susan X. Zhao, MD, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, California, and colleagues. It was published online August 30, 2023, in the Journal of the American Heart Association.