Hi, I’m trying to look into whether AF is hereditary and wondered if anyone knows anything about this or if there is a known gene test at all? Internet would seem to suggest that research is ongoing. Thanks a lot.
Hereditary AF?: Hi, I’m trying to look... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Hereditary AF?
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IanBlanche
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There is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there and many of us have had close relatives with AF. I believe the Israelis are doing a lot of research into the genetics of AF but I haven't any links. My own feeling is that gene therapy may be the way forward - some day . . . . .
Ha - I should have checked Google before replying!
eurekalert.org/pub_releases...
OK so that may be night time AF but what about normal AF? Oh I forgot there is no normal AF!
Of course if your body is built in a particular way then any condition may be prevalent in families. If a car maker does not spec a component correctly then all cars built with it may break. That is science! Blame Big G.
That’s interesting, maybe they ought to test all of us with AFib for this faulty gene.!!
Bob, this nighttime Afib thing seems to be me. You'd think I'd have it after a full day of yard work and 2-3 beers but No. It seems it comes on often just before I crawl into bed, when I get up at 3AM quickly to pee or other nightime situations. Never really during daylight times. Any comments would be appreciated. Keep up the good work. David
I would say there is but I've not looked into it further. My Nanna and Mum had AF and obviously so have I but NOT my brother.
Maybe . In days of yore such episodes were often put down to someone, often women, having ' one of their funny turns !'😬
various cardiologists have said it is a familial thing- don't know about genetic link though.
My mother had AF, which was only diagnosed when it was discovered that she had terminal cancer at age 60. A female cousin of mine on my mothers side of the family has it too.
Jean
My son has it too but not my daughter!
Ian. Both my parents had AF. So do I but my 2 siblings dont. Luck of the draw I guess.
My grandfather, father, cousin had/have it and my daughters have arrhythmias.
I hope its not a family thing as I am the only one with it and I'd hate to pass it onto my two children
My grandmother, aunt, me and my brother all had/have it. Not my mother nor sister. Indicates a familial connection I’ve always thought.
It was a secondary cause of death on my mothers death certificate the primary being heart Failure. my mother would never see a doctor so not sure if this was a condition she had or whether it was just at the end
My dad had afib ( died aged 88) my grandfather had “ heart problems” and I have afib now under control after ablations. I think a family disposition is likely
Its definitely in my family. I had a maternal aunt , uncle and a 1st cousin that all have or had it all on the same side of the family
I never heard of nightime AFib until now.
in reply to KMRobbo
KMRobbo,
AF is AF ..... irrespective of where the hands of the clock are pointing.
That said ... my paternal side of the family is the problem. My 84 year old grandfather died from a series of strokes but no diagnosis of AF ! I have AF, my 2nd cousin has AF ( his grandfather was my grandfathers brother ), my daughter had AF but only when expecting her two children. Once she stopped breeding the AF stopped. She now indulges herself in Thai Kick Boxing and other extreme gym related activities ...... we'll see what state she is in when she is 60 ish 😉 ( at the moment she looks like a stick insect - madness !! )
Since we love giving mysterious things labels you could say she has pregnancy AF ? Not helpful is it. It may be that researchers would be better off studying why a meal late in the day ( or containing certain foods, preservatives and ingredients ) disturbs the vagal nerve so much which then triggers AF during the early morning hours.
John
KMRobbo in reply to
Not so according to the article quoted above by Finvola
extract:-
"Combining genetic studies with frog oocyte and mouse analyses, our research group demonstrated that the mutation increases conductivity of the channel, thus greatly enhancing predilection to AFib," says Prof. Ohad Birk, M.D., Ph.D., of the BGU Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at NIBN, where the gene was discovered. "This ion channel is unique in that it is expressed specifically in the cardiac atria, and has circadian rhythm, which explains why the mutation causes AFib specifically at night."
it may be AFib but the cause is specific (according to that research).
in reply to KMRobbo
KMRobbo ...... but where does food and drink fit in to this study, and extreme sports, athletics, airforce fighter pilots ( where there is anecdotal evidence to suggest their exploits can generate AF ) sleeping on left side .....and these are just a few triggers of AF. Do all these AF sufferers from all these backgrounds have a defective ion channel I wonder.I just can't believe that this ion channel ' self starts' the AF condition all on its own in the wee small hours without interference from any other source. What does this ion channel do for the rest of the day I wonder ?
John
KMRobbo in reply to
APPARENTLY it does nothing during the day, as it is activated only at night on the circadian rhythm. We all knew Afib was a mongrel, if this study is accurate it is even more so.
in reply to KMRobbo
Hmmmmm. When I have a bit more time must look at this rythmn thingy. I hope it is as simple as this but I can't help but feel these people are on a hiding to nothing. Not all my events were triggered at night. When I did suffer a great many events started during the day. Some started after a food. Let's hope there is a follow up to this project.
KMRobbo in reply to
No I don't think it is saying ALL Afib is owing this, just some people with certain gene. All the other causes you have listed still probably apply!
My mum was diagonosed with it age 52 I was at 48 , then found out my dad has it but his maybe to old age. Also found out a aunt has sleep apnea which I have too. So I’m leaning to the side it’s genetic.
My father had it and I have it. Neither of my siblings have it and none of our children have it. Having said that my Dad and I both played sport athletics etc most of our lives so that is another component in getting AF - my siblings wouldn't even bother to run for a bus. So is it the genetics I share with my Dad or the fact that he encouraged me to play sport at a high level like him?
My mother has. She is rising 101 in July. Me for nearly 40 years post 2 ablations in 2018. Now have Prinzmetals.
I have it, one my sisters has it and my other sister has hyperthyroidism which is apparently connected. My father had a heart condition but he never told us whether it was AF.
My sister and I both have it and were diagnosed and had ablations within a few months of each other but neither of our parents had it. Although our father’s family talked of “heart problems”in previous generations my sister and I are the only ones out of our cohort of 14 paternal first cousins to have AF. We feel there probably is a genetic element as despite our very different life styles we both presented in a very similar way.
Hi IanAnecdotal for sure, but my mum had it, then I developed it 25 years ago, first SVT then full on Afib, and then both of my brothers were told they had during routine health checks.
So, I would say yes.
I'm the only one in my family. My Dad and Grandad both had heart attacks but no AF.
Hi IanBlanche,I can assure you that AF is definitely hereditary. My Father worked as an ambulance divisional training officer and he was demonstrating a heart monitor on himself and found an irregular heart rate, resulting in AF. I started with AF in January 2017 and had a successful ablation in November 2019. My younger brother is suffering from AF at this present time, he has had a pacemaker fitted and is waiting for an ablation. He has been suffering very badly from it.
I have warned my children to keep an eye out in case they start with the symptoms and my other siblings.
So there is proof that AF is hereditary.
Keep safe.
Regards
Flyer.
My mum had heart problems passed age 66 after years of chest pain and fainting on exertion heart failure on certificate never diagnosed but had severe bronchitis,my dad had a pacemaker fitted for irregular heart beat and several Tia s 2 heart attacks,I was diagnosed in 2020 after having NESTEMI but had told my gp years earlier I was worried about weird heart palpitations but it was never followed up apart from putting me on statins I also have copd my brother passed last month he was on home oxygen for copd and on statins and heart meds so i think it is linked my sister just been put on amlodipine and ramipril for high bp waiting for more tests
I have 4 sisters and we all have the condition - we suspect that our late father may have had it, but it did not affect him to any extent - he died from prostate cancer. My eldest sister is 89 and active. None of us seem to be seriously affected - I am totally symptomless and the condition was diagnosed purely by chance. I hope this helps with your research.
My mum and her two younger sisters had it. I have it too but kept under control. My mum passed away last year aged 93 and one aunt is now 88 the other 86. So here’s to a long life
Hillhead did your mum and aunt take anticoagulants. Mine didnt shw died aged 98
Mum did but don’t know about aunts
Gives us hope then. Hillhead
I have PAF, which is controlled with regular medication.
My mother had PAF episodes when she was younger. Now in her early 90s she has a rather fast heart rate but no longer has PAF episodes, as far as I am aware.
My two brothers did not/do not, to my knowledge, have AF or PAF.
My Mum had a stroke due to AFib, although it was a fall in the Care home that killed her at 93. Most of her family had strokes or heart attacks, also my Dad died from a brain haemorrhage as did his mother, although my Dad was on Warfarin for a DVT., so it could be they are all connected to my PAF, who knows.!
My mother had AFib also. My cardiologist told me family link is definitely there for AF.
My 80 year old mother has suffered with ectopics and short runs of afib from her early 20s, her sister my aunt also the same. Iv had ectopics since my late teens but then at 45 years old ( 7 years ago) I went on to develop PAF. had three PVI ablations and am a lot better now. My EP and cardiologist told me they believe that arrhythmias can be inherited I don’t know wether there is any evidence to prove this.? But they know far more than me so who am I to question them.!
I have paroxysmal AF as have two cousins of mine, my dad and his two brothers have/had persistent AF so 6 males in our family. I am currently awaiting a 2nd ablation. Going by our experience i would say yes it can be hereditary as having 6 males in our family with it is a little more than coincidence I would say.
I definitely think it runs in families - paternal grandfather died from strokes, Dad had a pacemaker and irregular heartbeat, Sister has it and I have it.
In my family there are 10 second cousins,,,our grandparents were siblings,,,,3 of us have afib,,,2 of us in our 60’s and I am 74,,,,maybe more will follow as we all age? ,,,,I do believe there is a link!
I developed it out of the blue with no apparent predisposing conditions. My father did also at just about the same age. He is now 95 and I'm 69. I've always assumed some sort of genetic link or predisposition at least. His age and otherwise good health can give us all some comfort.
My cardiologist said it's hereditary, as did the GP. My Dad, his bother and sister and his brother's daughter (similar age to me) all had/have it. Mine is now persistent. As was Dad's. Not sure about the others.
My great grand father, my grandfather, my uncle and no I have AF, all diagnosed in our early 50s.
This is so interesting...my dad, my sister and my brother all have A-fib. Thanks for the link that Finvola sent, the article said it had something to do with the potassium channel or something like that. I wonder, because sometimes when I start having a lot of irregular beats (PVC's and PAC's), if I drink some orange juice (it has a lot of potassium in it), it seems to help.
I think it’s likely…my mum,sister, myself and my 60yr old son all have or had AF. Sister had maze procedure,ablation, my son three ablations, and myself one. I am 80,take 2x50mg metoprolol and 1 x 50mg Flecainide at night. All under control now,no episodes
for nearly two years..
My brother had and his daughter has AF, and my sister says she has always had an odd heartbeat but it's never bothered her. definitely in my family!
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