Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in department of cardiology, which is caused by abnormal cardiac conduction system. In severe cases, AF can induce heart failure, cardiogenic shock, stroke and thromboembolic disease, which is life-threatening. The early diagnosis and prediction of AF have always been an important problem for clinical workers. How to identify and predict AF as early as possible is the primary clinical task. In recent years, with the continuous development of molecular biology techniques, more and more studies have confirmed that circRNAs can participate in the occurrence of AF and promote the progression of the disease. To summarize the influence and mechanism of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of AF, we hope to provide new insights for the prevention and molecular targeted therapy of AF and strive for greater clinical benefits for patients.

Key words: atrial fibrillation, diagnosis, molecular targeted therapy, biomarkers, circular RNA