My mother had AF as do I and one of my brothers. I was wondering if anyone knows much about the heredity of AF. How likely are my children to get AF. I have 4 children and both the oldest (36) and the youngest (26) have low resting heart rates as did I before getting my pacemaker.
I haven't posted for some time as I'm glad to say I've been in SR since Nov 2020 but I do read posts most days.
I hope everyone has a restful AF free jubilee weekend.
Tim
Hello, I think it might be as I’ve developed it and my brother has it. He’s 6 years younger, smokes drinks and is about 30kg overweight and does no exercise. I on the other hand have always been active, don’t do any of the above and myBMI has always been around 20-22. Go figure. My Dad who’s now 86 historically had a low heart rate and has a pacemaker for about 6 years now after his heart stopped and he was revived. His mother(72) and sister(60) both died post op from blood clots so who knows, did they have undiagnosed AF (about 40 yrs and 20yrs ago).
Thank you for the reply. What about your children? Are they showing any signs such as a low resting heart rate?
Tim
Funnily enough I spoke to my son about this yesterday as he tucked into his fry up after he gym . I’ll check his heart rate and get back to you. I’ve always had slightly low/normal BP, which is still the same, and a resting heart rate around 60-65. My Dad’s was always in the lower range. Mine is now 85-95 depending on the day and with 5mg BISOPROLOL has come a little lower but not much as I’m in persistent AF and so it dances around between 74-95.
Definitely does in mine although my Dad, brothers and I are all ex military, fitness freaks that enjoyed a beer and a smoke. So is it hereditary or is acquired through lifestyle? Anyone's guess although my son has ectopics and has never smoked and drinks very little. Interestingly I am the only one that discovered I had AFib before it was diagnosed as persistent and not suitable for ablation treatment
AF is a highly random condition which can affect anybody though incedence increases with age. It can be acquired through over exercise, unwise life style or it can be genetic. Athletes (especially cyclists and endurance athletes) and fast jet pilots have higher than average rates of AF(due to the strain put on their hearts and in the young it can results from binge drinking.
Is it hereditary? Well genetics play a part. If your heart is constructed in a particular way you may be more likely to develop AF but it is not strictly hereditary in the same way as for example is haemophilia .
Thank you Bob. Any of your family members affected?
Tim
None known. I put mine down to 60 years of motorsport, four hours sleep a night for twenty years doing two jobs and just maybe a bit too much stress. lol 😁But boy have I had a great life. Je regrette rien as Edith used to sing.
Afib does run in families but other factors are at play. A heart healthy diet, cholesterol and blood pressure control, stress management, a good BMI and appropriate exercise can go a long way to help prevent or mitigate afib.
Jim
Thank you Jim. I shall pass on your advice to my children.Tim
G'day Stinky,
I really believe it does .... however ... not in a linear fashion ( although it may do if it chooses to). My paternal grandfather died from a series of strokes back in 1964, aged 82. Well at 82 he was bound to die of something ? Nobody alive today who can shed any light on the cause of these strokes.
I have paroxysmal AF, highly controlled. My daughter ( at the time in her late 20's, early 30's) had AF diagnosed during both her pregnancies - when she stopped breeding the AF incidents stopped .... what happens when she hits 60 plus remains to be seen.
My second cousin has had AF diagnosed and treated. His paternal grandfather was my paternal grandfathers brother.
So, probably my paternal grandfather may have had untreated AF, won't know now. So, you see what I mean, although the AF in my family appears on my paternal side, it is not a linear progression. However, I feel that where genetics plays a role it is because your particular body has a genetic predisposition to AF.
John
That's very interesting. Thank you John.
FWIW, I have congenital mitral and aortic stenosis - and when I grew up no one else in my immediate or wider family had any heart issues - only much later, when my mother's generation reached their 70's did we start to notice that many relatives on her side of the family experienced Afib (some more permanently than others), so we suspect my "heart diseases" could be heredity.
Thank you Jonathan
When I was officially diagnosed and because my mother and grandmother had AF, my adult children were tested and told to come back every 10 years. Being men, they have not but they are aware! My EP has said that my AF is most certainly inherited and nothing to do with my lifestyle
Thank you Barb.
Both I and my brother have it. I suspect my grandmother may have had it. Hypothyroidism runs in the family on my mother's side, which I have, so that might be a linking factor.
Thank you.
Definitely hereditary - My father ,myself and 4 sisters have it, as did my son a competition canoeist, 16yers ago - but he has not had any sign of it since an ablation at that time. If you look on the Internet you will find a list of genes implicated in familial A fib.
Thank you.
Yes, my grandmother, aunt had it and two cousins (brothers) died in their early 50’s from heart attacks!
Thank you.
We suspect my Nan had it as she always complained of palpitations and died of a stroke at 68, my mum was diagnosed with it in her 50’s, I also started with AFib last year at the age of 50 and my eldest daughter is under investigation for arrhythmia at age 23 so definitely a link there
Thank you.
Hi, my Mother had AF during the last 10 yrs of her life, died of septisaemia aged 95yrs. My brother and slightly older sister also have AF as do I. My father died after stroke aged 57yrs, and was smoker and drinker and had high BP, I was 7 yrs old at the time, I rather suspect that from what I can gather from that side of family that 'heart problems' seem to figure quite strongly with them but can only guess at what!
Thank you.
Its definitely in my family on my mothers side. My aunt had it and her son has it as does another uncle
Thank you.
Hi StinkyI would say there is a large familial link for Afib. My mother had it as do I and my 2 brothers. We all have pretty different life styles, ranging from keen mountain walkers to quite sedentary.
However, we all have, or had, low heart rates, slight aortic distension and mild heart murmurs. So as Bob said, perhaps it is the anatomy of the heart and it’s wiring that we inherit that makes us more likely to develop Afib.
We were all stick thin too until the onset of our golden years. .
Thank you. It's interesting how many people say they're mother had it. Seems to be passed down the female side. And another common factor seems to be the low resting HR.
FYI these are the genes involved in Familial AFib, KCNQ1, KCNH2, ABCC9,LMNA, PRKAG2,RYR2, SCN5A,
It would be amazing, and I would love to, understand what that actually means….
I took it from a paper about Familial AFib, these, It appears that these are the genes responsible in providing information as to how its electrical channels should be wired in the heart, and I suppose if they are faulty they are inherited and with it AFib, I don't really know, haha!
There are two good articles that explain this:
healthline.com/health/arrhy...
medlineplus.gov/genetics/co...
Wow, thank you, there is some incredible info there. It looks like only a small percentage of those of us with AF would have defective genes as the cause….though out of curiosity it would be interesting to know… but I’ve no idea how much it costs to get specific genes tested.
You can get a 23andme test for $199 here: 23andme.com/?evr=epv
And then download your genetic data. However, they don't give you really what you need to analyze it.
What I did was download the data, and then uploaded it to a site like Livewello - livewello.com to get a greater understanding. But it's not something you do quick and easy, you'll only get value out of it if you're into taking the time to research and understand it.
Thank you.
hi stinky my mother had paf, my sister has recently been diagnosed with it ,i also have it and another sister and niece are also on the suspected list for having afib, we have all led different lifestyles , but one common denominator seems to have been stress, of the modern world
Thank you. I've noticed a few people saying they're mother had. I'm wondering if it is passed down the female side.
I have 2 first cousins and 3 x 2nd or 3rd cousins with HOCM (hypotropic cardiomyopathy). 2 other 2nd cousins with AF. All diagnosed young. All on my mother's side. Father and his sister both have AF now but only developed in 70s. Both unhealthy lifestyles.
I was 29 when I first developed AF. Not an athlete but not an unhealthy lifestyle either, regular exercise and sports, healthy diet, moderate drinking, non smoker. Stressful job but not prone to stress or anxiety.
Always have had lowish resting HR and lowish blood pressure.
I'm pretty sure genetics were/ are a part of the story.
Thank you. The low resting HR seems to be a recurring theme. Mine was always in the low 50's.
I believe in my case at least it's hereditary. I have no other health issues just Afib. BMI of 20 and I exercise but never been an extreme exerciser. When paternal aunt was in her late 50s she had Afib and sleep apnea and died in her sleep. I've heard she may have abused prescription drugs also which may have played a part. When one of her daughters turned 66 she fainted and it was discovered that she had SVT. That cousin is also in great health and is not even overweight. That cousin and I look very much alike more like sisters than cousins. When I turned 66 I started having palpitations and and found out I had Afib. None of my other cousins have shown any signs so far but some are younger. No issues of Afib at all on my maternal side. So in my case I would bet it is genetic. I had an ablation in January and so far no more Afib...and hoping it stays that way.
Thank you. As Bob said lots of people with no family history of Afib get Afib.
There most definitely seems to be familial risk with AF. Both my parents and sister have it and one of my adult sons also has it. I think risk factors (weight, alcohol, sleep, BMI) factor in to actually developing it, but I also think genetic risk is significant. Interesting but technical article:frontiersin.org/articles/10...
Thank you. Interesting article which I haven't read all of yet.
Hi! Unfortunately my thoughts are that’s it’s genetics. My mum and my sister had it too… I’m praying that my children and grandchildren haven’t inherited this nightmare!
Thank you. Yes I'm hoping I don't pass this on to my children.
Seems to be female line for me. Mum and Nanna had AF which wasn't treated as well as we are now. Both died of AF stroke.I have two boys,one of whom has benign PVCs .
My brother has no arrthymia.
Dad also had heart issues,double bypass and valve replacement, his dad also had heart trouble. Heart attack,fatal,61.
Brother has nothing.
I have a malformed aortic valve.
Seems random!
Thank you. As you say it seems random. Do you know what your resting HR was before the Afib started?
No ,as I didn't know it was AF. I put my heart ' palpitations ' down to severe stress over several years until I collapsed and was blue lighted into cardiac unit. Xx
My brother has AF my sister has SVT. .
Initial AF advice please
Understanding AF and how to cope with it 
Pace Maker for Bradycardia with AF
AF triggered by sleep apnea
Af posts other forums
