Education and Atrial Fibrillation: Mendelian Randomization Study

Yaozhong Liu; Chan Liu; Qiming Liu

doi:10.5334/gh.1107

Education and Atrial Fibrillation: Mendelian Randomization Study

Glob Heart. 2022 Mar 29;17(1):22. doi: 10.5334/gh.1107. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yaozhong Liu¹, Chan Liu², Qiming Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Province, China.
² International Medical Department, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Province, China.

PMID: 35586743
PMCID: PMC8973747
DOI: 10.5334/gh.1107

Abstract

Low social-economic status is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), but the extent of any causative effect is unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the causal role of educational attainment (EA) on AF using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Results from traditional single-variable MR indicated a modest causal effect of EA on AF. Sensitivity analyses using different MR methods yielded consistent results. Multi-variable MR and mediation analysis revealed that the protective effect of higher EA on AF was partially mediated by reducing cardiometabolic risk factors and smoking behavior. Our findings suggest that extending education, for example increasing school-leaving age, could lower the global burden of AF.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Education; Mendelian randomization.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Atrial Fibrillation* / epidemiology
Atrial Fibrillation* / genetics
Genome-Wide Association Study
Humans
Mendelian Randomization Analysis*
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Risk Factors

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant no. 82070356].