A Mendelian randomization (MR) study provided the evidence that the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) might be causal. Genetic variants associated with the BP traits were retrieved from 299 024 subjects of European ancestry. Two-sample MR analyses were used to examine the potential causal association of systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) as well as of pulse pressure (PP) with AF. MR analysis identified a potentially causal association between AF and SBP [odds ratio (OR): 1.018 per 1 mmHg increase], DBP (OR: 1.026), and PP (OR: 1.014). These findings were robust in sensitivity analyses, and the causal relationship of BP and AF did not change when single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with possible confounders (i.e. coronary artery disease and obesity) of the causal relationship were excluded. The findings suggest that optimal BP control might represent an effective strategy to reduce the burden of AF and its associated complications. Source: https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/
