Table 17.

Consensus statements on AF prevention II: management of associated conditions

Risk factor/trigger	Recommendations for clinical practice	Recommendations for research
Hyperthyroidism	Overt and subclinical hyperthyroidism increase AF risk Control thyroid function in patients at risk of AF Treat associated cardiovascular diseases and consider modification of risk factors	More research is needed regarding risk factors and prevention of AF in populations with high-normal thyroid function (based on TSH level) and individuals with higher level of free thyroxin within normal range.
Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and paroxysmal AF	In patients with SVT and paroxysmal AF: Ablate SVT, continue antiarrhythmic drugs or ablate AF as needed. Checking for potential SVT substrate should be considered in patients with isolated PAF referred for ablation	Additional studies on prevention of AF in patients with SVT are needed
Post-operative AF	β-Blockers and amiodarone are indicated for prophylaxis of post-operative AF	More research is needed on use of pharmacological agents with anti-inflammatory and anti-remodelling properties, statins and other possible drugs for prevention of post-operative AF
Upstream therapies	–	Investigation of the long term effects of sustained secondary prevention with upstream therapies starting before AF in people at risk and early after AF diagnosis are required

AF, atrial fibrillation; PAF, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation; SVT, supraventricular tachycardia; TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone.