Familial aggregation of atrial fibrillation in Iceland

Aims To examine the heritability of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Icelanders, utilizing a nationwide genealogy database and population-based data on AF. AF is a disorder with a high prevalence, which has been known to cluster in families, but the heritability of the common form has not been well defin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European heart journal 2006-03, Vol.27 (6), p.708-712
Main Authors: Arnar, David O., Thorvaldsson, Sverrir, Manolio, Teri A., Thorgeirsson, Gudmundur, Kristjansson, Kristleifur, Hakonarson, Hakon, Stefansson, Kari
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Arrhythmia
Atrial Fibrillation - epidemiology
Atrial Fibrillation - genetics
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiac dysrhythmias
Cardiology. Vascular system
Case-Control Studies
Cohort Studies
Epidemiolgy
Family Health
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Genetics
Heart
Humans
Iceland - epidemiology
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Pedigree
Risk Factors
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Summary:Aims To examine the heritability of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Icelanders, utilizing a nationwide genealogy database and population-based data on AF. AF is a disorder with a high prevalence, which has been known to cluster in families, but the heritability of the common form has not been well defined. Methods and results The study population included 5269 patients diagnosed since 1987 and age-sex-matched controls randomly selected from the genealogy database. Kinship coefficients (KC), expressed as genealogical index of familiality (GIF=average KC×100 000), were calculated before and after exclusion of relatives separated by one to five meiotic events. Risk ratios (RR) were calculated for first- to fifth-degree relatives. The average pairwise GIF among patients with AF was 15.9 (mean GIF for controls 13.9, 95%CI=13.3, 14.4); this declined to 15.4 (mean GIF for controls 13.6, 95%CI=13.1, 14.2) after exclusion of relatives separated by one meiosis and to 13.7 (mean GIF for controls 12.6, 95%CI=12.1, 13.2), 12.7 (mean GIF for controls 11.9, 95%CI=11.4, 12.4), and 11.3 (mean GIF for controls 10.6, 95%CI=10.1, 11.1) after exclusion of relatives within two, three, and four meioses, respectively (all P
ISSN:0195-668X
1522-9645
DOI:10.1093/eurheartj/ehi727