deCODE Study Expands Clinical Utility of deCODE AF(TM) for Improving the Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation and Prevent...( REYKJAVIK Iceland November 10 /- ...)

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, November 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In a presentation yesterday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2008, scientists from deCODE genetics (Nasdaq:DCGN) presented data from large scale case-control studies in multiple populations that underscore the clinical utility of the deCODE AF(TM) test for improving the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation as a means to prevent stroke. deCODE AF(TM) is a DNA-based reference laboratory test that detects two single-letter variations (SNPs) in the human genome that deCODE has shown double the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). It is an important tool for physicians because atrial fibrillation (AF), a common cardiac arrythmia, is often intermittent and therefore under diagnosed. Detecting AF frequently requires more extensive cardiac monitoring than is feasible on all patients who have suffered stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

deCODE's newly presented data demonstrate that the SNPs measured by deCODE AF(TM) are the most significant known genetic risk factors not only for AF, but also for ischemic stroke. But most surprisingly, these same markers were also shown to confer risk of cryptogenic and large vessel stroke as well. The strong connection between AF and non-cardiogenic subtypes led the deCODE team to estimate that 20-30% of these subtypes is likely due to undiagnosed, intermittent AF. This means that AF causes an even larger proportion of stroke than previously believed, making tools like deCODE AF(TM) all the more important for helping doctors to target monitoring to those at risk and to tailor therapy accordingly.

"Through an analysis of the SNPs in deCODE AF(TM) we have expanded our understanding of the role of AF in causin
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