The lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation (a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate) has increased from one in four to one in three over the past two decades, as per a study published in The BMJ.
Among those with the condition, two in five are likely to develop heart failure over their remaining lifetime and one in five encounter a stroke, with little or no improvement in risk evident over the 20 year study period.
Once atrial fibrillation develops, patient care has primarily focused on the risk of stroke, but other complications such as heart failure and heart attack have yet to be fully explored. To address this knowledge gap, researchers analysed national data for 3.5 million Danish adults with no history of atrial fibrillation at age 45 or older to see whether they developed atrial fibrillation over a 23 year period (2000-22).
