Significance of serum fibroblast growth factor-23 and miR-208b in pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation and their relationship with prognosis

BACKGROUND The incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation are increasing each year, and this condition is one of the most common clinical arrhythmias. AIM To investigate the levels and significance of serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) and miR-208b in patients with atrial fibrillation and their relationship with prognosis. METHODS From May 2018 to October 2019, 240 patients with atrial fibrillation were selected as an observation group, including 134 with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and 106 with persistent atrial fibrillation; 150 patients with healthy sinus rhythm were selected as a control group. The serum levels of FGF-23 and miR-208b in the two groups were measured. In the observation group, cardiac parameters were determined by echocardiography. RESULTS The serum levels of FGF-23 and miR-208b in the observation group were 210.20 +/- 89.60 ng/mL and 5.30 +/- 1.22 ng/mL, which were significantly higher than the corresponding values in the control group (P< 0.05). In the observation group, the serum levels of FGF-23 and miR-208b in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation were 234.22 +/- 70.05 ng/mL and 5.83 +/- 1.00 ng/mL, which were significantly higher than the corresponding values in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (P< 0.05). The left atrial dimension (LAD) of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation was 38.81 +/- 5.11 mm, which was significantly higher than that of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (P> 0.05). The serum levels of FGF-23 and miR-208b were positively correlated with the LAD (r= 0.411 and 0.382,P< 0.05). In the observation group, the serum levels of FGF-23 and miR-208b in patients with a major cardiovascular event (MACE) were 243.30 +/- 72.29 ng/mL and 6.12 +/- 1.12 ng/mL, which were significantly higher than the corresponding values in patients without a MACE (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION The serum levels of FGF-23 and miR-208b are increased in patients with atrial fibrillation and are related to the type of disease, cardiac parameters, and prognosis.