REVIEW article
Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiovascular Metabolism
Glucose Metabolic Dysregulation of Diabetes and Its Role in Atrial Fibrillation Pathogenesis
Yuqi Chen
Min Xu
Nan Ma
Ke Wei
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent persistent arrhythmia in clinical practice, with a complex pathogenesis that remains incompletely understood. Emerging evidence underscores a strong association between diabetes and the occurrence of AF, highlighting a significantly elevated risk among diabetic patients. This increased susceptibility is not solely attributable to chronic hyperglycemia but is also shaped by blood glucose fluctuations and dysregulated glucose metabolism. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which hyperglycemia and blood glycemic variability contribute to the onset of AF, and the potential involvement of abnormal glucose metabolism pathways and metabolic disturbances induced by diabetes in the pathogenesis of AF.
Summary
Keywords
arrhythmia mechanisms, Atrial Fibrillation, Diabetes Mellitus, Glucose Metabolic Dysregulation, metabolic remodeling
Received
23 September 2025
Accepted
02 December 2025
Copyright
© 2025 Chen, Xu, Ma and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Nan Ma
Disclaimer
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