How often does your heart skip a beat? The answer may explain why fewer blacks have AF than whites

(Elsevier) Recent studies have determined that blacks have a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with whites despite having a higher prevalence of risk factors such as hypertension and heart failure. A new study found evidence that blacks experience statistically significantly fewer premature atrial contractions but with similar frequencies of premature ventricular contractions. Both are common causes of early, skipped, or irregular heartbeats. This difference in atrial ectopy by race may help explain the substantial differences in AF rates between blacks and whites.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news