deCODE AF™

A DNA-based test enabling stroke prevention through more effective screening for atrial fibrillation. Targets outpatient Holter monitoring towards those stroke patients most likely to have intermittent AF. Treating AF patients with warfarin reduces their risk of stroke by 70%.

Screening and prevention

How deCODE AF™ can help.

Diagnosing a larger proportion of AF

Between 15 and 20 percent of all strokes are cardiogenic, the subtype with the highest morbidity and mortality. Atrial fibrillation is the leading cause of cardiogenic stroke, but because it is often intermittent it is under diagnosed and undertreated in those who receive only in-patient cardiac monitoring following a stroke.

Targeted screening

Monitoring all ischemic stroke patients in an ambulatory setting may be considered impractical or too expensive. deCODE AF™ addresses this problem by identifying those stroke patients who are more likely to have AF. These patients may therefore benefit most from outpatient cardiac monitoring.

Better prevention

Two studies have shown that an extra week of ambulatory cardiac monitoring using an automated digital event recorder following a stroke may identify AF in another 5.6-14.3% of stroke survivors. For those in whom AF is detected, treatment with warfarin can reduce the risk of a secondary AF-related stroke by 70%.

Better detection of AF can prevent stroke and save lives.

deCODE AF™ offers a new means of detecting widely validated genetic risk factors for AF. In-patient post-stroke cardiac monitoring misses a sizable large proportion of intermittent AF. deCODE AF™ enables physicans to target and personalize the use of ambulatory cardiac monitoring to those at higher risk, and then to deliver the preventive benefits of warfarin to more of those who need it. This can help to prevent secondary stroke, saving lives and saving money for the healthcare system.

Detects significantly increased risk in a substantial proportion of people.

Approximately 40% of people of European descent taking deCODE AF™ will receive a score indicating they are at above the population average risk of AF, while 7% will be at more than 1.5-fold average risk and 2% will be at more than double average risk. Roughly 30% of people of East Asian origin will receive a score putting them at or above 1.33-fold the population average risk. Highly validated risk factors

The five markers detected by deCODE AF™ have been associated with increased risk of AF in multiple studies involving tens of thousands of patients and controls from multiple populations of European descent. The two markers on chromosome 4q25, which capture the greatest risk, have also been validated in East Asians.

This content was last reviewed on February 04, 2011.