Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
27
CHAPTER
Adhesion Molecules in Atrial
Fibrillation
Matthias Hammwöhner
1
, Alicja Bukowska
2
,
Rüdiger C. Braun-Dullaeus
3
and Andreas Goette
4,*
Division of Cardiology
Otto-von-Guericke-University Hospital Magdeburg,
Leipzigerstr. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
E-mail:
1
matthias.hammwoehner@med.ovgu.de;
2
alicja.bukowska@med.vgu.de;
3
r.braun-dullaeus@med.ovgu.de;
4
andreas.goette@med.ovgu.de
ABSTRACT
Atrial i brillation (AF) is
the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Its incidence
rate and prevalence constantly rises with age. AF not only impairs quality
of life, but also increases mortality due to its attributed stroke risk and related
heart failure. AF is a major contributor to apoplectic stroke at all ages because
of thrombus formation especially in the let atrial appendage with consecutive
thromboembolism to brain arteries. h erefore, AF-related stroke contributes to
about 30% of all strokes in elderly patients. Recent studies showed the importance
of prothrombotic endocardial changes for the development of atrial thrombi. h e
initiating mechanism is the increased expression of adhesion molecules, which
allows the endocardial recruitment of inl ammatory cells and leukocyte-platelet
conjugates to the atrial endothelium. h is chapter summarizes AF-related cellular
and molecular changes, focussing on the role that adhesion molecule expression
