Genomic risk scores, biomolecules, and clinical conditions to predict atrial fibrillation: time to integrate what we can measure.

The irregular pulse that we now call atrial fibrillation (AF) was first described in 1628 by William Harvey in his I Exercitatio de Motu Cordis i .[1] A few centuries later, Einthoven first recorded AF on the electrocardiogram. Therefore, accounting for clinical risk factors is not expected to affect its association with AF and hence its predictive value.[4] The study participants had established cardiovascular conditions and were therefore at higher risk of incident AF, reflected in a relatively high 3-year incidence rate of AF of 3.6%. P.K. is listed as inventor on two patents held by University of Birmingham (Atrial Fibrillation Therapy WO 2015140571, Markers for Atrial Fibrillation WO 2016012783). [Extracted from the article]