Genetics of Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)
Genetics of Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)
What is Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)?
AVNRT is a condition that causes the heart to beat and function irregularly. This is called an arrhythmia. Natural electrical pulses make the heart beat and pump blood. Everyone has an electrical structure that sends signals quickly, called the AVN pathway. About 1 out of 5 people have another electrical pathway that send signals slowly. AVNRT occurs when the electrical pulses travel through the two pathways in a way that signals do not connect properly.
Symptoms can include:
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
- Heart flutter feeling
- Shortness of breath
- Neck or chest pain
Diagnosis of AVNRT can be very hard to detect. Special equipment that monitors the heart rhythm and electric pulses works the best for detection, called an EP study. It is not clear what causes AVNRT. Things like stress, smoking, and alcohol can make symptoms worse or more frequent. Treatments may include medications, low-energy shock to reset the rhythm (cardioinversion), procedures on specific areas of the heart (ablation), or surgery.
How is the research done?
Some families have been known to have AVNRT more than others. This research team believes that genes may be linked to the development of AVNRT. Using BioVU, they studied people with AVNRT detected by an EP study. They matched the people who have AVNRT with people who have a normal heart rhythm to get a clear understanding of the differences. Because there are only a few of these patients in BioVU, they focused on people of European ancestry with AVNRT, then will add other ancestries when there are enough to study. They looked at age, gender, race, AVNRT symptoms, and other medical history. They also compared the findings with other researchers around the world to see if they see similar results.
What is the importance of this study?
There isn’t a lot of information about why AVNRT happens to some people and not others. The research team wants to see if understanding genes linked to AVNRT will help. They hope it will help with better detection and treatments for people with AVNRT around the world.