New study reveals low global public awareness of atrial fibrillation

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new study that surveyed the general public in 10 countries found only 48 percent of people were aware of atrial fibrillation, which is lower than the awareness of other common diseases.

Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib or AF, is a quivering or irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia, that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications, according to the American Heart Association.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 2.7-6.1 million people in the United States have AFib, which costs the United States about 6 billion U.S. dollars each year.

Medical costs for people who have AFib are about 8,705 dollars higher per year than for people who do not. With the aging of the U.S. population, this number is expected to increase.

To understand the extent of public awareness of AFib, an international research team conducted an Internet-based, cross-sectional survey in 10 countries, namely Argentina, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the Netherlands, Uganda, Britain and the United States.

In the study, published this week in "Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis," researchers found awareness about AFib ranged from 25 percent to 69 percent across countries, while awareness of the risk factors for AFib ranged from 8 percent to 52. Less than 46 percent of participants were aware that AFib could lead to a stroke.

"Recognizing atrial fibrillation is as easy as having a doctor feel your pulse. It doesn't require an expensive diagnostic test," lead study author Dr. Aaron Wendelboe of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center was quoted as saying in a news release.

"And since early recognition and treatment can be an easy way to prevent a stroke, then increasing the public's awareness of atrial fibrillation should be a public health priority," said Wendelboe.

There are an estimated 33.5 million people with AFib around the world, according to a World Health Organization's study.

Earlier this year, the World Thrombosis Day campaign, led by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, released a survey also showing the global public awareness of AFib is low compared with other medical conditions.