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  • Mini Review
  • Special issue: Renal denervation: Evidence and challenges in clinical practice
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Renal denervation for hypertensive heart disease and atrial fibrillation

Hypertension Research volume 47, pages 2665–2670 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Accumulating evidence supports the efficacy of renal denervation (RDN) as an antihypertensive treatment. Additionally, several RDN clinical studies, including meta-analyses, have suggested that RDN may potentially have beneficial effects on left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic function, and new-onset/recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF), although most studies were not randomized sham-controlled. In particular, the effects of RDN on left ventricular hypertrophy and AF recurrence appear to be relatively evident. Sympathetic activation plays a critical role in the development of hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, and AF. Notably, several studies suggest the cardioprotective effects of RDN even in the absence of significant blood pressure reduction, probably due to its sympathoinhibitory effects. It is imperative to establish the efficacy of RDN in patients with hypertensive heart disease and/or AF, focusing on parameters of sympathetic activity in the clinical setting, including randomized sham-controlled trials. Moreover, further basic research is essential to elucidate the therapeutic mechanisms of RDN beyond blood pressure lowering and the renal nerves-linked pathophysiologies of hypertensive heart disease and AF.

This review outlines the effects of renal denervation on hypertensive heart disease, particularly on left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic function, and on atrial fibrillation. The sympathoinhibitory effect of renal denervation, an important potential mechanism of its beneficial effects on heart disease, is also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to the Japanese Society of Hypertension and all its members for providing me with the opportunity to participate as a member of the RDN Working Group. I also appreciate the editors of Hypertension Research for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this mini-review article.

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  1. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Keisuke Shinohara

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Correspondence to Keisuke Shinohara.

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Shinohara, K. Renal denervation for hypertensive heart disease and atrial fibrillation. Hypertens Res 47, 2665–2670 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-024-01755-y

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