Your Father and Grandfather's Atrial Fibrillation: A Review of the Genetics of the Most Common Pathologic Cardiac Dysrhythmia

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common pathologic dysrhythmia in humanswith a prevalence of 1-2% of the total population and as high as 10% of theelderly. AF is an independent risk marker for cardiovascular mortality andmorbidity, and given the increasing age of the population, represents anincreasing burden of disease. Although age and hypertension are known riskfactors for development of AF, the study of families with early onset AFrevealed mutations in genes coding for ion channels and other proteins involvedin electrotonic coupling as likely culprits for the pathology in select cases.Recent investigations using Genome-Wide Association Studies have revealedseveral single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that appear to be associated withAF and have highlighted new genes in the proximity of the SNPs that maypotentially contribute to the development of the dysrhythmia. Here we review thegenetics of AF and discuss how application of GWAS and next generationsequencing have advanced our knowledge of AF and further investigations mayyield novel therapeutic targets for the disease.