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Yoga safe, effective for patients with paroxysmal AF
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Regular yoga practice significantly reduced the burden of symptomatic atrial fibrillation and improved anxiety, depression and overall quality of life for patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MD, and colleagues at the University of Kansas Hospital studied the impact of yoga on 49 patients (mean age, 61 years) with symptomatic paroxysmal AF. During a 3-month control phase, patients were permitted to engage in any type of physical activity. During a 3-month study phase, patients participated in a supervised yoga program, consisting of 45-minute sessions with a certified professional three times a week. Patients performed breathing exercises, yoga postures, and meditation and relaxation. Patients were provided with an educational DVD and were encouraged to practice the exercises at home on a daily basis, depending on their comfort level.
After 3 months, patients who practiced yoga experienced reduced symptomatic AF episodes (3.8 vs. 2.1; P<.001), symptomatic non-AF episodes (2.9 vs. 1.4; P<.001) and asymptomatic AF episodes (0.12 vs. 0.04; P<.001).
Yoga was also associated with significant improvement in physical functioning (P=.017), general health (P<.001), vitality (P<.001), social functioning (P=.019) and mental health (P<.001). In addition, heart rate and systolic and diastolic BP were reduced after yoga (P<.001).
“This is the first study to evaluate the role of yoga — a noninvasive, complementary and alternative medicine intervention — in the management of AF. These findings underscore the therapeutic value of a low-cost, noninvasive therapy such as yoga to effectively complement the conventional treatment strategies in improving AF patient care,” the researchers wrote in the study. “Given the high prevalence of AF and costs of conventional therapy, the public health relevance of these findings is very pertinent.”
The patients studied were new to the practice of yoga. The program was designed to allow beginners to progress safely from basic movements to more advanced practice during the course of the study. All patients were also on stable medical therapy during the control and intervention phases.
The researchers acknowledged that this is a small, proof-of-concept study. “Future large, focused, randomized controlled studies will be necessary to examine the previous postulates and potential additional mechanisms through which yoga may exert beneficial effects in patients with AF.”
Disclosure: Lakkireddy and colleagues report no relevant financial disclosures.
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