Study on the relationship between telomere length changes and recurrence of atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Introduction: Advanced age is the foremost risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Telomere length is a surrogate for biological aging, but the association between shortened leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and recurrence of AF (RAF) after ablation remains inconclusive.

Methods: In this prospective analysis, 282 patients underwent an initial catheter ablation for paroxysmal or persistent AF.