Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained chronic cardiac
arrhythmia in clinical practice, increasing the risk of stroke, thromboembolism and
mortality. The pathophysiology of AF is complex, including inflammation, oxidative
stress, structural remodeling with apoptosis or fibrosis, leading to remodeling in the
atria. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of AF are not
fully understood. Biomarkers, mainly determined in peripheral blood may increase our
knowledge of the pathophysiology of AF with important implications in the assessment
of AF diagnosis, prognosis, or therapy decision-making. The aim of this chapter is to
provide an exhaustive overview of the knowledge about classical and novel biomarkers
in AF and their implications, diagnostic and therapeutic potential.
Keywords: Adiponectin, Atrial fibrillation, Biomarkers, BTP, CRP, Cystatin Ddimer,
E-sel, GDF-15, IL-6, NT-proBNP, Micro particles, MiRNAs, Mortality, Psel,
rTPA, sTM, Stroke, Thromboembolism, Troponin, VWF.