There has been a “staggering” rise in the number of people living with a stroke-inducing heart condition, a new study suggests. Cases of atrial fibrillation (AF) – a dangerous heart rhythm condition and major cause of strokes – have increased by up to 72% in England over the last two decades, the research has found.
According to the study, the condition now outstrips the combined number of people diagnosed with the four most common types of cancer – breast, prostate, lung and bowel – and exceeds the number of people living with heart failure. Researchers say the findings should help change the way AF is prevented, detected and treated, as not everyone experiences symptoms and diagnosing it is difficult.
In the largest and most detailed study into AF, researchers from the University of Leeds used GP and hospital data from 3.4 million people in England to analyse those diagnosed with AF for the first time between 1998 and 2017. They found the number of people diagnosed with the condition each year increased from 117,880 in 1998 to 202,333 in 2017.
