Key result
Pedigree analysis of Irish Wolfhounds demonstrated a high estimated heritability of 0.69 for atrial fibrillation, consistent with a dominant mode of inheritance.
Why the study?
The Irish Wolfhound breed has a high prevalence of AF, but the extent of genetic versus environmental contributions and the mode of inheritance were unknown.
Observational (n=463)
Effect estimate: Heritability 0.69 (95% CI 0.50-0.86)
May guide breeding to reduce AF in Irish Wolfhounds; leaves open translation to human AF genetics.
BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in dogs. The Irish Wolfhound breed has a high prevalence of AF making them an ideal breed to investigate possible genetic contributions to this disease. The aim of this study was to perform a heritability analysis in North American Irish Wolfhounds using phenotype data from cardiac screenings performed between 2000 and 2019 in order to determine how much of this disease can be attributed to genetics compared to environmental causes. The second aim was to determine the disease mode of inheritance to help inform prevention and breeding practices. RESULTS: There were 327 Irish Wolfhounds diagnosed with AF and 136 Irish Wolfhounds over 8 years of age without AF. The estimated mean (95% confidence interval) heritability of AF in Irish Wolfhounds was 0.69 (0.50-0.86). The pedigree was consistent with a dominant mode of inheritance. CONCLUSION: Results of this study indicate a strong genetic contribution to AF in Irish Wolfhounds and suggest that future research to identify causative genetic mutations is warranted.
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Fousse et al. (2019) conducted an observational in Atrial fibrillation (n=463). Genetic lineage / Family history of atrial fibrillation vs. Unaffected lineage was evaluated on Heritability of atrial fibrillation (Heritability 0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.86). Pedigree analysis of Irish Wolfhounds demonstrated a high estimated heritability of 0.69 for atrial fibrillation, consistent with a dominant mode of inheritance.
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