Influence of sex on efficacy of exercise training for patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation: insights from the ACTIVE-AF randomized controlled trial.

This analysis examined the potential benefit of exercise training on arrhythmia recurrence and symptom severity amongst men and women with symptomatic atrial fibrillation enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of exercise and physical activity intervention compared with standard medical care. Previous studies have not provided evidence on whether men and women might benefit from exercise training to a similar degree. Our findings highlight the following key points: Both men and women in our study experienced fewer arrhythmia recurrences with exercise training compared with men and women in standard medical care.Exercise reduced arrhythmia symptoms in women, but we did not find any evidence of a reduction in symptoms amongst men.