Familial risk of atrioventricular block in first-degree relatives

Rare cases of genetically inherited atrioventricular block (AVB) have been reported; however, the heredity of AVB remains unknown. We aimed to assess the heredity of AVB.

Using data from the Danish Civil Registration Registry, we established a nationwide cohort of individuals with parental links. Data were merged with information from the Danish Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Registry, containing information on all pacemaker implantations performed in Denmark during the study period, to identify patients who received a first-time pacemaker because of AVB.

A total of 4 648 204 individuals had parental links and a total of 26 880 consecutive patients received a first-time pacemaker due to AVB. Overall, the adjusted rate ratio (RR) of pacemaker implantation due to AVB was 2.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.5) if a father, mother or sibling had AVB compared with the risk in the general population. The adjusted RR was 2.2 (1.7-2.9) for offspring of mothers with AVB, 1.9 (1.5-2.4) for offspring of fathers with AVB and 3.5 (2.3-5.4) for siblings to a patient with AVB. The risk increased inversely proportionally with the age of the index case at the time of pacemaker implantation. The corresponding adjusted RRs were 15.8 (4.8-52.3) and 10.0 (3.3-30.4) if a mother or father, respectively, had a pacemaker implantation before 50 years.

First-degree relatives to a patient with AVB carry an increased risk of AVB with the risk being strongly inversely associated with the age of the index case at pacemaker implantation. These findings indicate a genetic component in the development of AVB in families with an early-onset disease.