Genetics of lone atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac dysrhythmia leading to an increased risk of heart failure and thromboembolic stroke. It is a multifactorial disease, the incidence of which increases with age and presence of other comorbidities. Especially in the young it can develop in the a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Slovenian Medical Association
2010-05-01
|
| Series: | Zdravniški Vestnik |
| Online Access: | http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/260 |
| Summary: | Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained
cardiac dysrhythmia leading to an increased risk
of heart failure and thromboembolic stroke. It is
a multifactorial disease, the incidence of which
increases with age and presence of other comorbidities.
Especially in the young it can develop in
the absence of known risk factors, and is called
idiopathic or „lone“ atrial fibrillation, which
in a smaller proportion can occur as a familial
form. The familial idiopathic atrial fibrillation is
a monogenetic disease; mutations found this far
mainly cause an altered function of potassium
channels. In contrast, the nonfamilial or sporadic
form of idiopathic atrial fibrillation is a polygenetic
disease where certain polymorphisms
increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
These polymorphisms encode the subunits of
cationic channels and proteins, which participate
in inflammation and propagation of depolarisation.
With the advances in genetics and discovery
of mutations and polymorphisms which
increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation
we will discover pathophysiological mechanisms
of initiation and chronification of this dysrhythmia.
The discoveries could be a basis for the
development of new prevention and treatment
strategies for atrial fibrillation. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1318-0347 1581-0224 |