Groningen Genetics of Atrial Fibrillation Study

(Cite PMID: 29892015
From ""Multi-ethnic genome-wide association study for atrial fibrillation."", NG, 2018)

The GGAF cohort (n=2207) is a genotype and phenotype repository of individuals with AF and age- and sex-matched controls from 5 different sources. All studies were approved by the ethical committee, and all individuals provided written informed consent. Individuals with AF (n=1108) were included in 3 registry cohorts at the University Medical Center (www.atrialfibrillationresearch.nl), and Maastricht University Medical Center (AF-Risk n=6). The AF-Risk study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01510210) is an observational hospital-based cohort (n=500; in GGAF 339) to seek for markers of severity of atrial remodeling and predict outcome of a rhythm control treatment strategy. Patients with a short history of AF were included. Detailed phenotypic information was collected, including non-invasive vascular function measurements, body surface mapping, and detailed information on presence or progression of AF during 5-years follow up is obtained by use of serial ECGs, 24-hour Holter monitoring and recordings from loop recorders. The Young-AF study is an observational hospital-based cohort (n=500; in GGAF 311) to seek describe the phenotypic profile of patients with AF onset at age <60 years and the occurrence of AF progression during 5 years follow up. The phenotypic data that was collected is similar to the AF risk profile study. The Biomarker AF study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01510197) is an observational hospital-based cohort (n=500; in GGAF 458) to identify a risk profile to guide AF therapy in all-comers with AF. The project is similar in design as the AF risk profile study, with a few modifications. No extra phenotypic information on top of our standard clinical AF protocol was performed, except blood sampling. Age-and sex-matched individuals without AF (controls) were included from 2 cohorts at the University Medical Center Groningen.The GIPS study is a randomized-controlled trial (n=380; in GGAF 362) to evaluate the effect of metformin treatment on preservation of left ventricular function in patients without diabetes presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Mean left ventricular ejection fraction after 4 months, assessed by magnetic resonance imaging was 53.1%, and the use of metformin compared with placebo did not improve left ventricular ejection fraction. The PREVEND cohort study (www.prevend.org) is a community-based cohort study including 8592 inhabitants of the city of Groningen, The Netherlands. PREVEND is one of the AFGen consortium participants, see further for more details on cohort description. In the GGAF cohort we included 742 individuals without AF, not previously included in GWAS.