Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyMeta-analysis
Cardiomyopathy Gene Variants and Polygenic Risk Scores in Atrial Fibrillation
- Cohort study with meta-analysis
- 2 cohorts (UKB and AoU)
- random-effects meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
Genetic variants that cause cardiomyopathy also increase the risk of AF, even in individuals without heart failure or overt ventricular disease.
Study context
- Population
- Participants of UK Biobank and All of UsUKB and AoU
- Participants
- 655,796 participants
- Comparison
- Variant carriers vs Non-carriers
- Outcome
- Incident AF
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
AF
Disease-causing variant vs Non-carriersEstimate (95% CI)P value
AF
HR 1.73(1.59–1.89)
P < 0.001adjusted for incident ventricular cardiomyopathy or clinical HF
adjusted HR 1.55(1.46–1.64)
P < 0.001Further pooled results
Cumulative atrial fibrillation (AF) risk to age 75, by variant and PRSAF quintile · birth to 75 years
- Variant + top PRSAF quintile, UKB
- 32.5%
- Variant + top PRSAF quintile, AoU
- 32.4%
- No variant + lowest PRSAF quintile, UKB
- 9.8%
- No variant + lowest PRSAF quintile, AoU
- 11.0%
Cumulative cardiomyopathy risk, variant + top disease-specific polygenic risk scores (PRS) quintile
- DCM, UKB
- 5.9%
- DCM, AoU
- 15.2%
- HCM, UKB
- 11.7%
- HCM, AoU
- 19.1%
Original publication
Cardiomyopathy Gene Variants and Polygenic Risk Scores in Atrial Fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 18 February 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2025.12.014
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it