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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
08:10

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: July 20, 2022

Atrial fibrillation and CHADS2 risk factors are associated with highly sensitive C-reactive protein incrementally and

Mark A Crandall1, Benjamin D Horne, John D Day

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology : PACE
|May 9, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Inflammation plays a role in atrial fibrillation (AF). Higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were observed in AF patients, suggesting AF is an inflammatory condition.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Inflammation Research
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Inflammation is implicated in the development and persistence of atrial fibrillation (AF).
  • The precise role of inflammatory markers and their association with AF and coexisting cardiovascular diseases requires clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels and atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing angiography.
  • To determine if AF is independently associated with elevated hs-CRP levels, irrespective of cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 2,340 patients undergoing angiography for suspected coronary artery disease (without myocardial infarction) was analyzed.
  • Serum hs-CRP levels were measured, and AF status was confirmed through various clinical and diagnostic methods.
  • Patients' cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities were documented.

Main Results:

  • Patients with AF (n=238) exhibited significantly higher hs-CRP levels compared to those without AF (14.0 mg/L vs. 9.1 mg/L, P < 0.001).
  • Higher CHADS2 scores were incrementally associated with elevated hs-CRP levels.
  • The presence of AF was linked to increased hs-CRP across different CHADS2 score strata, suggesting an independent association.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated hs-CRP levels are incrementally associated with AF risk factors.
  • The findings support the hypothesis that atrial fibrillation (AF) is an inflammatory process.
  • AF may confer an independent inflammatory risk, as indicated by elevated hs-CRP levels.
Abstract

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