CHARGE-S: MGH AF Study

This substudy phs001116 CHARGE-S: Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) AF Study includes targeted capture sequencing produced as part of NHLBI's CHARGE-S project. Summary level phenotypes for the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Study participants can be viewed at the top-level study page [phs001001](./study.cgi?study_id=phs001001) MGH AF Study. Individual level phenotype data and molecular data for all MGH AF top-level study and substudies are available by requesting Authorized Access to the MGH AF Study [phs001001](./study.cgi?study_id=phs001001).

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully localized multiple loci containing common variations influencing coronary heart disease and its risk factors, but in most cases neither the gene underlying disease susceptibility nor the spectrum of candidate functional variants has been identified. Building on GWAS for NHLBI-diseases: the U.S. CHARGE consortium (the CHARGE sequencing (CHARGE-S) consortium) is a collaborative effort to leverage existing population, laboratory and computational resources to identify susceptibility genes underlying genome-wide significance and well-replicated GWAS findings for heart, lung and blood diseases and their risk factors. The U.S. CHARGE consortium consists of multiple large population-based longitudinal cohort studies, including the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study (N=15,792), the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) (N=5,888), and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) (N=14,428) and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Study (N=200).

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Atrial Fibrillation Study was initiated in 2001. The study has enrolled serial probands, unaffected and affected family members with atrial fibrillation. At enrollment participants undergo a structured interview to systematically capture their past medical history, AF treatments, and family history. An electrocardiogram is performed; the results of an echocardiogram are obtained; and blood samples are obtained.