Three times as many people have atrial fibrillation than previously known
In the journals
- Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Investigators from the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed the medical records of nearly 30 million California patients over a 15-year period and found that approximately 2 million (about 6.4% of the state's adult population) were diagnosed with afib. People with afib were more likely to be men and to have high blood pressure or diabetes. Using the data as a model, the researchers estimated the current national prevalence of afib to be at least 10.5 million. Previous projections estimated that 3.3 million adults had afib.
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About the Author
Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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