A new study from Northwestern Medicine has brought exciting progress in predicting heart rhythm problems before they even happen. These problems, called arrhythmias, occur when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or irregularly. Some types, like atrial fibrillation (AFib), can increase the risk of stroke, while others can lead to sudden death. Now, researchers have developed a new genetic risk score that makes it easier to identify who might be at higher risk. Published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, the study involved over 1, 100 people. The team wanted to see if combining different kinds of genetic data could give doctors a more accurate picture of a person’s risk. Traditionally, genetic testing has been done in three separate ways. One looks for rare changes in a single gene (like a typo in a word). Another looks at many small changes across different genes (like analyzing the tone of a whole chapter). And the third approach reads the person’s entire genetic code (like reading an entire book). But in this study, researchers combined all three methods to create a more complete picture. They used this combined genetic score to study people with arrhythmias and compare them to healthy people. The result was a much better understanding of who is most at risk and why. They believe this approach can help doctors identify patients in danger long before symptoms start. The study was led by Dr. Elizabeth McNally, a genetic testing expert at Northwestern University. She explained that this method is not just helpful for heart problems, but may also be used for other conditions like cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and autism. By building a “genetic roadmap,” researchers hope to guide future treatment and testing for many different diseases. The study included 523 people with arrhythmias, and many of them also had heart failure. The researchers looked at each patient’s medical history in detail, including data from heart-monitoring devices. Then, they sequenced the patients’ genomes and used both rare and common genetic changes to calculate risk scores. These were compared to 596 healthy people from a biobank who had no known heart disease. The results were impressive. People with higher combined risk scores were more likely to have dangerous arrhythmias. This shows that the genetic method could help doctors catch problems earlier, possibly saving lives. McNally said that in her own practice, she uses genetic tests to help decide which patients might need extra care, like an implanted defibrillator. But there’s still a problem: not enough people get genetic testing. Even though the benefits are clear, only about 1-5% of people who should get tested actually do. Even in cancer care, where genetics are well known to play a role, only 10-20% of eligible patients get tested. McNally says the biggest reason is that many doctors aren’t trained in how to use genetic results. She hopes that as tests like polygenic risk scores become more common, more patients will benefit. Overall, this study shows how powerful it can be to look at the full picture of a person’s genes. By combining different types of genetic data, researchers can now better predict who might develop dangerous heart rhythms. It’s not a cure, but it’s a big step toward personalized care-where treatments are based on a person’s unique genetic makeup. This could lead to earlier warnings, better treatment plans, and a better chance to protect people from life-threatening heart issues. If you care about health, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease. For more health information, please see recent studies about potatoes and high blood pressure, and results showing 6 best breads for people with heart disease.
https://knowridge.com/2025/11/new-dna-test-could-predict-dangerous-heart-rhythms-before-they-start/