Joint effects of atrial fibrillation and prothrombotic genotypes on the risk of ischemic stroke.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke. Whether prothrombotic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) impact stroke risk in AF is not well known.

Objectives: To investigate the joint effects of five prothrombotic SNPs and AF on ischemic stroke risk.

Red Cell Distribution Width and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Subsequent Thromboembolism: The Tromsø Study.

 Red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with cardiovascular diseases, including atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). Whether RDW is a risk marker for thromboembolic events in AF patients is scarcely known. We aimed to assess the association between RDW and the risk of AF, and AF-related VTE and ischemic stroke, in a population-based cohort.

Atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, and all-cause mortality: The Tromsø study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality. Patients with AF are also at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but information on how AF impacts VTE-related mortality is scarce.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of AF on all-cause mortality in subjects with and without a thromboembolic event (VTE or ischemic stroke).

Atrial Fibrillation and Cause-Specific Risks of Pulmonary Embolism and Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-established risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS). Emerging evidence also indicates an association between AF and pulmonary embolism (PE). Because IS may potentially mediate the observed risk of PE in AF, we aimed to assess the impact of AF on the cause-specific risks of PE and IS in a large cohort recruited from the general population.

Myocardial infarction and future risk of cancer in the general population-the Tromsø Study.

The association between myocardial infarction (MI) and future risk of incident cancer is scarcely investigated. Therefore, we aimed to study the risk of cancer after a first time MI in a large cohort recruited from a general population. Participants in a large population-based study without a previous history of MI or cancer (n = 28,763) were included and followed from baseline to date of cancer, death, migration or study end.

Ischemic Stroke and Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in the General Population: The Tromsø Study.

Background: Even though clinical data support a relation between ischemic stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE), the strength and time dependence of the association remain to be settled at the population level. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between ischemic stroke and VTE in a prospective population-based cohort.

Methods And Results: Participants (n=30 002) were recruited from 3 surveys of the Tromsø study (conducted in 1994-1995, 2001, and 2007-2008) and followed through 2010.

Atherosclerotic Risk Factors and Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Venous Thromboembolism; Time-Fixed versus Time-Varying Analyses. The Tromsø Study.

Background: Single measurements of modifiable risk factors may underestimate associations with outcomes in cohorts. We aimed to compare risk estimates of myocardial infarction (MI) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) by atherosclerotic risk factors during long follow-up using time-fixed analyses without and with correction for regression dilution and time-varying analyses.

Methods: The study included 5970 subjects enrolled in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994/95).

Venous thromboembolism increases the risk of atrial fibrillation: the Tromso study.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) may trigger atrial fibrillation through increased right atrial pressure and subsequent atrial strain, but the degree of evidence is low. In this study, we wanted to investigate the impact of incident venous thromboembolism (VTE) on future risk of atrial fibrillation in a prospective population-based study.

Methods And Results: The study included 29 974 subjects recruited from the Tromsø study (1994-1995, 2001-2002, 2007-2008).

Carotid atherosclerosis predicts future myocardial infarction but not venous thromboembolism: the Tromso study.

Objective: Recent studies have suggested that arterial and venous thrombosis share common risk factors. Although carotid atherosclerosis is associated with arterial cardiovascular events, its role in venous thromboembolic disease is unclear. We wanted to investigate and compare the effect of carotid atherosclerosis on the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a general population, taking into account competing risks.

Postprandial lipemia is not increased in patients with previous unprovoked venous thromboembolism.

Background: Patients with arterial cardiovascular disease have increased postprandial lipemia, and plasma levels of postprandial remnants are related to the progression of atherosclerosis. Studies have shown that patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism have increased risk of arterial cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To investigate whether patients with a history of unprovoked venous thromboembolism have increased postprandial lipemia.

Competing risk of atherosclerotic risk factors for arterial and venous thrombosis in a general population: the Tromso study.

Objective: To investigate and compare the impact of traditional atherosclerotic risk factors for the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis, taking into account competing risks.

Methods And Results: In 1994-1995, 26,185 subjects were screened in the Tromsø study. Information on traditional atherosclerotic risk factors was obtained by physical examination, blood samples, and questionnaires.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is not a risk factor for venous thromboembolism: the Tromso study.

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is associated with risk of arterial cardiovascular disease but conflicting results have been reported on its role in venous thromboembolic disease. The objective of our study was to investigate the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and risk of future venous thromboembolism in a prospective cohort recruited from a general population.

Design And Methods: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein was measured in serum samples from 6,426 men and women, aged 25-84 years, recruited from the Tromsø Study in the period 1994-1995.

Several common variants modulate heart rate, PR interval and QRS duration.

Electrocardiographic measures are indicative of the function of the cardiac conduction system. To search for sequence variants that modulate heart rate, PR interval and QRS duration in individuals of European descent, we performed a genome-wide association study in approximately 10,000 individuals and followed up the top signals in an additional approximately 10,000 individuals. We identified several genome-wide significant associations (with P < 1.

A sequence variant in ZFHX3 on 16q22 associates with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke.

We expanded our genome-wide association study on atrial fibrillation (AF) in Iceland, which previously identified risk variants on 4q25, and tested the most significant associations in samples from Iceland, Norway and the United States. A variant in the ZFHX3 gene on chromosome 16q22, rs7193343-T, associated significantly with AF (odds ratio OR = 1.21, P = 1.