Peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length as a possible prognostic marker for the development of atrial fibrillation

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders. The most prominent risk factor for atrial fibrillation is advanced age. Population ageing contributes to an increase in both the prevalence of this pathology and socio-economic burden of the disease for society in general and the patient in particular. Adequate therapy and prevention of atrial fibrillation requires the search for novel prognostic risk markers for disease development, progression, and patients response to therapy. One of these markers is the length of telomeres structures at the ends of chromosomes that protect them from degradation during cell division. The article provides an overview of world studies, both confirming and disproving the role of leukocyte telomere length in atrial fibrillation development.

Keywords

• atrial fibrillation
• telomers
• length of telomers of leucocytes
• length of telomers of myocytes of atrium
• radiofrequency catheter ablation
• clinical trials
• predictive markers