A new study from UC San Francisco reveals that atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), a condition causing rapid and irregular heartbeats, is three times more common than earlier estimates.
Nearly 5% of the U.S. population, or about 10.5 million adults, are affected by A-Fib, which can lead to serious health issues like stroke, heart failure, and even sudden death.
For over two decades, the number of people affected by A-Fib was thought to be around 3.3 million.
However, the aging population and rising cases of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity have caused a sharp increase in A-Fib cases.
The new estimates were published on September 11 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
Dr. Jean Jacques Noubiap, the study’s lead author and a cardiovascular health expert at UCSF, explained that A-Fib doubles the risk of death and increases the chance of developing other serious health problems like heart attacks, kidney disease, and dementia.
However, A-Fib can be managed and even prevented with early detection and proper treatment.
The UCSF researchers reviewed medical records from 30 million adult patients in California who received medical care between 2005 and 2019.
They found that 2 million people had been diagnosed with A-Fib, and the number of cases steadily increased over time. Between 2005 and 2009, 4.49% of patients had A-Fib, but this number rose to 6.82% between 2015 and 2019.
When this data was adjusted to reflect the entire U.S. population, researchers estimated that at least 10.55 million adults are now living with A-Fib.
The study also found that A-Fib patients are getting younger, with fewer women affected than men. Patients are also more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, which increase the risk of developing the condition. People with A-Fib are up to five times more likely to have a stroke.
Dr. Gregory Marcus, a senior author of the study and cardiologist at UCSF Health, emphasized the importance of recognizing how widespread A-Fib is and using this data to improve health care planning and prevention efforts.
He also noted that with the increasing use of wearable devices that can detect A-Fib and new treatments becoming available, the number of people diagnosed with A-Fib may grow even more in the future.
These findings highlight the need for better prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment to reduce the serious health risks associated with A-Fib.
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