Irregular heartbeat may be tied to more than just stroke risk

(Reuters) – Atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that’s already linked to an increased risk of stroke, may also be tied to higher risk of heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease and sudden death, according to a new research review. “It was particularly noteworthy that the relative and absolute risk increase for heart failure was the highest among all outcomes examined, even higher than the risk of stroke, said lead author Ayodele Odutayo, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford in the U.K. In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart flutter or beat irregularly. Sometimes known as Afib, the arrhythmia affects at least 2.7 million people in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. The researchers reviewed 104 studies of atrial fibrillation and heart disease, kidney disease or death, including a total of more than 9 million participants. Pooling the results, the study team found that atrial fibrillation was associated with a 46% greater risk of death from any cause, 61% increased risk of heart disease, 88% increased risk of sudden cardiac death, fivefold greater risk of heart failure and 64% greater risk of chronic kidney disease. Strokes were two to three times more common for people with atrial fibrillation than for people without it, according to the results in The BMJ. “Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm and the aberrant electrical impulses that contribute to atrial fibrillation can originate ...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Tags: Cardiovascular American Heart Assn. Source Type: news