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Sascha Dublin, MD, PhD; Thomas Lumley, PhD; Nicole L. Glazer, MPH; Bruce M. Psaty, MD, PhD; Benjamin French, MS; Kerri L. Wiggins, MS, RD; Nicholas L. Smith, PhD; Susan R. Heckbert, MD, PhD

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In reply

We appreciate the interest Arias et al have in our study of obesity and risk of new-onset AF. We agree that OSA may play a role in mediating the obesity-AF relationship that we observed, in which a 3% higher risk of AF was seen for each 1-unit increment in body mass index and obese persons were at 37% higher risk of developing AF compared with persons with a normal body mass index.¹

Obstructive sleep apnea is most likely a consequence of obesity, and derangements caused by OSA are one mechanism through which obesity could lead to AF. Other possible mechanisms include left atrial enlargement and chronic inflammation. Unfortunately, our data did not allow us to . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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RELATED LETTER

Atrial Fibrillation, Obesity, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Miguel A. Arias, Ana M. Sánchez, Alberto Alonso-Fernández, and Francisco García-Río
Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(14):1552-1553.
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