Archive for the ‘irregular heartbeat’ tag
deCODE Finds Genetic Factors Impacting Key Clinical Measurements of Heart Activity and Disease Risk
Scientists at deCODE genetics today report the discovery of seven novel and common single-letter variations in the sequence of the human genome (SNPs) that are involved in modulating the electrical impulses that govern the working of the heart. Two of these SNPs, which correlate with electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) measurements that are used in the clinical evaluation of heart health and activity, were then shown to confer increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), one of the most common causes of irregular heartbeat and a leading cause of stroke. The paper, “Several common variants modulate heart rate, PR interval and QRS duration,” is published online in Nature Genetics and will appear in an upcoming print addition of the journal.
