National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Familial atrial fibrillation


Other Names:
Atrial fibrillation autosomal dominant; Autosomal dominant atrial fibrillation; Atrial fibrillation, familial; Atrial fibrillation autosomal dominant; Autosomal dominant atrial fibrillation; Atrial fibrillation, familial; ATFB See More
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Familial atrial fibrillation is an inherited heart condition that disrupts the heart's rhythm. It is characterized by erratic electrical activity in the heart's upper chambers (the atria), causing an irregular response in the heart's lower chambers (the ventricles). This causes a fast and irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Signs and symptoms may include dizziness, chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, or fainting. Affected people also have an increased risk of stroke and sudden death. While complications may occur at any age, some affected people never have associated health problems.[1] Familial atrial fibrillation may be caused by changes (mutations) in any of various genes, some of which have not been identified. It is most often inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, but autosomal recessive inheritance has been reported.[2]
Last updated: 11/9/2015

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Thromboembolic stroke 0001727
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Atrial fibrillation
Quivering upper heart chambers resulting in irregular heartbeat
0005110
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Stroke 0001297
Tachycardia
Fast heart rate
Heart racing
Racing heart
[ more ] 		0001649
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Last updated: 7/1/2020
We are unaware of treatment recommendations specific to familial atrial fibrillation, but there is information available about treatment for atrial fibrillation in general.

Treatment for atrial fibrillation depends on the frequency and severity of symptoms and may involve medications, medical procedures, and lifestyle changes. People who don't have symptoms or related heart problems may not need treatment. The main goals of treatment include:[3]
  • Preventing blot clots and lowering risk of stroke. This may involve blood-thinning medications such as warfarin, dabigatran, heparin, and aspirin.
  • Controlling the rate of contractions of the ventricles (rate control). This may involve medications to restore the heart rate to a normal level, such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and digitalis.
  • Restoring a normal heart rhythm (rhythm control). This is typically for people who don't do well with rate control treatment, or for people who recently began having symptoms. Rhythm control may involve medications or procedures and is usually begun in a hospital for monitoring. Procedures may include cardioversion, catheter ablation, or maze surgery.[3]
Last updated: 11/9/2015
The long-term outlook (prognosis) for a person with familial atrial fibrillation (AF) varies depending on the type of atrial fibrillation the person has, as well as whether another underlying heart condition or disease is present.[4] Generally, affected people can live normal, active lives, but ongoing medical care is important.[3]While a person does not die from AF itself, a person can die from complications that result from having AF. The main risks in affected people are stroke and heart failure.[4] AF is also associated with an increased risk of a first myocardial infarction (heart attack).[5]

Many people with familial AF are said to have 'lone AF' - a term that describes AF in people younger than age 60 with no underlying heart disease. The prognosis is reportedly very good in people with lone AF.[6] However, other cardiovascular risk factors, such as age, diabetes, hypertension, and prior stroke, can further increase the risk of stroke.[7]

Other complications that may be associated with AF include adverse hemodynamics, reduced exercise tolerance, degraded quality of life, impaired cognition or dementia, and tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.[8]

Generally, while there is conflicting evidence in younger people with no underlying heart abnormalities, AF is associated with reduced life expectancy in older affected people. In some cases, anti-arrhythmic drugs appear to contribute to increased mortality.[7]
Last updated: 11/10/2015

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

Living with a genetic or rare disease can impact the daily lives of patients and families. These resources can help families navigate various aspects of living with a rare disease.

Financial Resources

  • Patient Access Network Foundation (PAN Foundation) has Assistance Programs for those with health insurance who reside in the United States. The disease fund status can change over time, so you may need to check back if funds are not currently available. 

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Familial atrial fibrillation. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
  • The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has information on this topic. NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health and supports research, training, and education for the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Familial atrial fibrillation. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. Familial atrial fibrillation. Genetics Home Reference. January, 2007; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/familial-atrial-fibrillation.
  2. Oscar Campuzano and Ramon Brugada. Genetics of familial atrial fibrillation. Europace. October, 2009; 11(10):1267-1271.
  3. How is atrial fibrillation treated?. NHLBI. September, 2014; http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/af/treatment.
  4. FAQs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib or AF). American Heart Association. 2014; http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_424424.pdf.
  5. Fred F. Ferri. Atrial Fibrillation. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2016. Elsevier, Inc; 2016; 167-170.
  6. CECILIA GUTIERREZ and DANIEL G. BLANCHAR. Atrial Fibrillation: Diagnosis and Treatment. Am Fam Physician. January, 2011; 83(1):61-68.
  7. Ramin Davoudi. Atrial Fibrillation. First Consult. July 29, 2012;
  8. Ri-Tai Huang, Song Xue, Ying-Jia Xu, Min Zhou, Yi-Qing Yang. A novel NKX2.5 loss-of-function mutation responsible for familial atrial fibrillation. International Journal of Molecular Medicine. May, 2013; 31(5):