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Cedars: Atrial Fibrillation Is a Growing, Serious Health Problem

The World Health Organization data analysis shows that more than 33 million people worldwide have atrial fibrillation.

By City News Service

Atrial fibrillation, long considered the most common condition leading to an irregular heartbeat, is a growing and serious global health problem, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center reported Wednesday, citing the first study ever to estimate the condition's worldwide prevalence.

The World Health Organization data analysis, led by Dr. Sumeet Chugh, associate director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, shows that 33.5 million people worldwide -- or .5 percent of the world's population -- have the condition, according to a Cedars statement.

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Funded partly by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Cedars- Sinai Heart Institute, the analysis was conducted with the assistance of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which seeks to identify the world's major health problems so society can best allocate medical resources and funding.

Atrial fibrillation occurs when electrical impulses in the upper chambers of the heart, called the atria, become chaotic and cause an irregular heartbeat, which can trigger heart palpitations along with such symptoms as fatigue. When the heart isn't pumping blood effectively, blood can stagnate and clot. If the clots break apart and travel to the brain, they can cause a stroke.

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The study, believed to be the first to determine the number of people globally with atrial fibrillation, is published online in the peer-reviewed medical journal Circulation, and is scheduled to be published in the Feb. 25 print edition of the journal.

"Atrial fibrillation has a huge cost in every sense of the word," Chugh said. "It can lead to stroke, hospitalization, as well as lost productivity. Our findings indicate that atrial fibrillation is on the rise around the world and it's a huge public health burden."

During the analysis, Chugh and a team of researchers systematically analyzed data from selected population-based research studies, from among 1,784 published medical research studies on atrial fibrillation, to estimate global and regional prevalence, incidence and mortality related to this condition.

"Our hope is that we can develop a sustainable global plan to manage atrial fibrillation and find new and effective ways of preventing this condition," Chugh said.

Among the study's findings:

In 1990, an estimated 570 of 100,000 men had atrial fibrillation. In 2010, the prevalence rate for men was 596 of 100,000. For females, an estimated 360 of 100,000 women had atrial fibrillation in 1990. In 2010, that rose to 373 of 100,000, the statement said.

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