Atrial fibrillation on the rise
November 21, 2011
INCIDENTS of the most common
cardiac arrhythmia, Atrial
fibrillation (AF), are on the rise in
Australia, according to the
Australasian College for Emergency
Medicine (ACEM).
The comment comes on the back
of a presentation today on the
latest AF information by Professor
Ben Freedman, Professor of
Cardiology at Concord Hospital, and
Deputy Dean of Sydney Medical
School, at the annual scientific
meeting of the Australasian College
for Emergency Medicine.
According to ACEM, AF currently
affects around 1% of the population,
and more Australians are hospitalised
as a result of the condition than
for stroke or heart failure.
The rise in incidents of AF in the
population isin large part being
attributed to the aging population,
with over half of all sufferers aged
over 75 years, and around 10% of
all people over 80 suffering from AF.
Another major contributing
factor to the condition in younger
people, is increasing rates of
obesity and a reduction in levels of
physical activity.
According to ACEM many more
Australians may suffer from AF
than are currently diagnosed, with
research indicating that one in 200
relatively fit people who have an
ECG as a check prior to operation
will have AF and be completely
unaware.
ACEM also warned that AF
sufferers are three times more
likely to have heart failure, and
have a higher overall mortality (up
to 90%).
Sufferers of AF are also up to
seven times more likely to suffer a
stroke than the general
population.
In addition, drugs to help prevent
stroke in AF sufferers including
Warfarin and newer blood thinners
are often underused in sufferers
because of fears about
haemorrhage, according to ACEM.
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