title: Stromal cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α): A marker of disease burden in patients with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Stromal cell-derived factor 1a (SDF-1α), is a chemokine and is able to home hematopoietic progenitor cells to injured areas of heart tissue for structural repair. Previous studies have found increased levels of SDF-1α in several cardiac diseases, but only few studies have investigated SDF-1α in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to test SDF-1α in a large cohort of patients with AF and its role as a prognostic marker.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 1st 2008 to December 1st 2012, 290 patients with ECG documented AF were enrolled from the in- and outpatient clinics at the Department of Cardiology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hvidovre, Denmark. Plasma levels of SDF-1α were measured using ELISA technique. Clinical data were registered and patient follow-up was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with permanent AF had significantly higher SDF-1α levels (2199.5 pg/ml) than the patients with paroxysmal AF (1982.0 pg/ml) and persistent AF (1906.0 pg/ml), p < 0.0005. Higher SDF-1α level was associated with longer time spent in the hospital per readmission, p < 0.05.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In AF patients, a higher SDF-1α level was found in patients with a more progressive state of arrhythmia and was associated with longer hospitalizations. These findings suggest that SDF-1α could prove valuable in risk stratification and evaluating the disease burden in AF patients.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Hvidovre , Denmark.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Hvidovre , Denmark.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bjørnager
authors.affiliation: b Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital , Hvidovre , Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Langkilde
authors.affiliation: b Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital , Hvidovre , Denmark.
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: c Department of Cardiology , Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jøns
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Hvidovre , Denmark.
authors.forename: Bue F R
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Agner
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Hvidovre , Denmark.
authors.forename: Ulrik
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dixen
authors.affiliation: d Department of Cardiology , Roskilde University Hospital , Roskilde , Denmark.
authors.forename: Nadia L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Landex
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000097:blood*; D003718:Denmark; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12
keywords: SDF-1α; arrhythmia; atrial fibrillation; disease burden