Editorial: Accelerated Epigenetic Aging and Incident Atrial Fibrillation - New Outlook on an Immutable Risk Factor?
Atrial fibrillation is a growing health concern in the United States. The primary risk factor for atrial fibrillation is advancing age, which is immutable. Using epigenetic aging biomarkers may give beter biological context to the associations between chronological age and atrial fibrillation and provide insights into how to alter the underlying mechanisms for this risk factor. In a recent analysis authors used three population-based cohort studies to examine associations between atrial fibrillation and several epigenetic biomarkers - primarily aging-related ones. The authors observed several associations, though none appeared to be causal. In this editorial, I have examined the author's results and placed them into a larger context for the field and for understanding age-related risks for atrial fibrillation.