Atrial fibrillation (AF) Risk Study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Novel biomarkers discovery for Atrial fibrillation risk prediction.

• IRAS ID

  274447

• Contact name

  Taranjit Singh Rai

• Contact email

  t.rai@ulster.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Ulster

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common disturbance of heart rhythm. Factors such as age, high blood pressure, heart valve conditions, diabetes, previous heart attacks, heart failure including diseases of the heart muscle known as cardiomyopathies and severe disease of the heart blood vessels are the main risk factors for atrial fibrillation. The main concern is the associated risk of stroke and the severity of stroke that AF patients have which is more likely to cause death. Currently we do not know how much AF a patient must experience to cause a stroke, nor do we understand why patients get AF.
  As there is no blood test to help predict the risk of stroke and doctors rely on calculating a score from the risk factors mentioned above to predict who may be susceptible to stroke and other clotting events.
  As part of a PhD project, the purpose is to investigate novel biomarkers to help doctors predict a patient’s risk of atrial fibrillation. We will conduct a pilot study to establish normal and abnormal levels of a panel of potential biomarkers present in the blood of healthy individuals and in patients. At the start of recruitment, both the patients and control group will be asked to donate 20ml blood sample. Many patients have to undergo a treatment called cardioversion. Cardioversion is a technique where doctors use electrical shock and or chemicals to bring the hearts of patients in sinus rhythm. However, a small proportion of these patients could not return to sinus rhythm. To understand why this happens we will take a further 20 ml blood sample of patients group at the subsequent appointment (about 4 months later). This work will be used to design future studies that may validate this new biomarker in AF prediction.
  

• REC name

  London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  20/PR/0054

• Date of REC Opinion

  3 Sep 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion