Genome-wide Study of Atrial Fibrillation Identifies Seven Risk Loci and Highlights Biological Pathways and Regulatory Elements Involved in Cardiac Development

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia and a major risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and premature death. The pathogenesis of AF remains poorly understood, which contributes to the current lack of highly effective treatments. To understand the genetic variation and biology underlying AF, we undertook a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 6,337 AF individuals and 61,607 AF-free individuals from Norway, including replication in an additional 30,679 AF individuals and 278,895 AF-free individuals.

Source: The American Journal of Human Genetics - December 28, 2017 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jonas B. Nielsen, Lars G. Fritsche, Wei Zhou, Tanya M. Teslovich, Oddgeir L. Holmen, Stefan Gustafsson, Maiken E. Gabrielsen, Ellen M. Schmidt, Robin Beaumont, Brooke N. Wolford, Maoxuan Lin, Chad M. Brummett, Michael H. Preuss, Lena Refsgaard, Erwin P. B Tags: Article Source Type: research