• Kari Anne Sveen, Gustav Smith, Harry Björkbacka, Marju Orho-Melander, Gunnar Engström, Isabel Gonçalves, Olle Melander, Jan Nilsson, and Eva Bengtsson.
• Department of Endocrinology, Morbid Obesity and Preventive Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
• J. Intern. Med. 2022 Feb 1; 291 (2): 207-217.

Background And ObjectivesAtrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with inflammation, both systemically and in the atrial tissue. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is increased in patients with AF and is suggested to be one of the molecules that drives inflammation. Autoantibodies against oxidized LDL and apolipoprotein B100, the protein component of LDL, are linked to atherosclerotic disease. However, whether these autoantibodies are associated with occurrence of AF is not known. We investigated autoantibodies against oxidized apolipoprotein B100 peptides and incidence of AF in a large population-based cohort.MethodsIgM and IgG against native and aldehyde-modified apoB100 peptides 210 (p210) and 45 were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 5169 individuals from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort.ResultsSeven hundred sixty-nine incident AF cases were recorded during a follow-up of 21.3 years. Individuals with high levels of IgM against native p210 at baseline had a lower risk of developing AF; however, the association did not remain after adjustment for age and sex. Women had higher levels of IgM against native p210 than men (0.70 ± 0.22 AU vs. 0.63 ± 0.21 AU, p < 0.001). The association of IgM against native p210 and AF was significantly different between sexes (p for interaction = 0.024), where females with high IgM against p210 had a lower risk for incidence of AF (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] 4th versus 1st quartile: 0.67 [0.49-0.91]; p = 0.01) after adjusting for risk factors and comorbidities.ConclusionThese findings support an association of humoral autoimmunity with AF.© 2021 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

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