Study Points to Causal Role for Lp(a) in Atrial Fibrillation
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Although lipoprotein(a) is causally related to coronary artery disease and aortic valve stenosis — two known risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) — evidence linking Lp(a) to a causal role in the development of AF has been lukewarm at best. A recent Mendelian randomization study showed only a nominally significant effect of Lp(a) on AF, whereas an ARIC substudy showed high levels of Lp(a) to be associated with elevated ischemic stroke risk but not incident AF.
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@gursharan A new study that adds the heft of Mendelian randomization to large observational and genetic analyses, however, implicates Lp(a) as a potential causal mediator of AF, independent of its known effects on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).