Background:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered cardiac
arrhythmia globally and substantially increases the risk for thromboembolic disease.
Albeit, 20% of all cases of AF remain undiagnosed. On the other hand, hypertension amplifies
the risk for both AF occurrences through hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic
mechanisms and cerebrovascular ischemia. Under this prism, prompt diagnosis of undetected
AF in hypertensive patients is of pivotal importance.
Method:
We conducted a review of the literature for studies with biomarkers that could
be used in AF diagnosis as well as in predicting the transition of paroxysmal AF to sustained
AF, especially in hypertensive patients.
Results:
Potential biomarkers for AF can be broadly categorized into electrophysiological,
morphological and molecular markers that reflect the underlying mechanisms of adverse
atrial remodeling. We focused on P-wave duration and dispersion as electrophysiological
markers, and left atrial (LA) and LA appendage size, atrial fibrosis, left ventricular
hypertrophy and aortic stiffness as structural biomarkers, respectively. The heterogeneous
group of molecular biomarkers of AF encompasses products of the neurohormonal
cascade, including NT-pro BNP, BNP, MR-pro ANP, polymorphisms of the ACE and
convertases such as corin and furin. In addition, soluble biomarkers of inflammation (i.e.
CRP, IL-6) and fibrosis (i.e. TGF-1 and matrix metalloproteinases) were assessed for predicting
AF.
Conclusion:
The reviewed individual biomarkers might be a valuable addition to current
diagnostic tools but the ideal candidate is expected to combine multiple indices of atrial
remodeling in order to effectively detect both AF and adverse characteristics of high risk
patients with hypertension.
Mitochondrial DNA 4977bp Deletion Mutation in Peripheral Blood Reflects Atrial Remodeling in Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation