Hypertension and Atrial Fibrillation: Any Change with the New Anticoagulants

Hypertension and atrial fibrillation are the most common cardiovascular risk factors and clinically significant arrhythmia, respectively. These conditions frequently coexist and their prevalence increases rapidly with aging. Despite several different risk factors and clinical conditions predisposing to hypertension for its high prevalence in the population is still the main risk factor for the development of atrial fibrillation. Several pathophysiologic mechanisms (such as structural changes at the level of left ventricle and or atrium, neurohormonal activation, arterial stiffness, etc.) can contribute to the onset of atrial fibrillation. Some antihypertensive treatments have been shown to contribute to reduce the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a major risk factor for stroke, which is further increased in the presence of hypertension. For this reason, hypertension is included as a major risk factor in the available models for the risk stratification and the prevention of thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. In this article we will review the relationship between atrial fibrillation and hypertension, looking at the possible specific indications of the antithrombotic treatment with new classes of anticoagulants in the prevention of thromboembolic events in hypertensive patients with atrial fibrillation.