A Second Gene Is Associated with Atrial Fibrillation

Risk factors uncovered by genomewide studies add more pieces to the AF puzzle.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the U.S. and, most likely, in the world. Traditional risk factors for AF include older age, male sex, and underlying heart disease. However, an individual's genotype also probably contributes to his or her risk for AF. Two years ago, a gene on chromosome 4q25, PITX2, was found to be associated with AF. Now, two groups of investigators have identified a second gene also associated with AF.

In an international genomewide association study including patients from Iceland, Norway, and the U.S., a variant in the gene ZFHX3 on chromosome 16q22 was significantly associated with AF. Another research team independently found a second variant in this gene to be associated with AF in patients in the …

Reviewing Author

Mark S. Link, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsCirculation; UpToDate

Mark S. Link, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsCirculation; UpToDate