Prevalence of Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation in Adults

TLDR

Atrial fibrillation is the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia, increasing stroke risk fivefold and accounting for roughly 15 % of all strokes, while also reducing quality of life, functional status, cardiac performance, and elevating medical costs and mortality. The study aims to specify the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the United States to better understand its population burden of disability and medical costs. The authors assembled a contemporary cohort of atrial fibrillation patients and calculated age‑, sex‑, and race‑specific prevalence estimates.

Abstract

TRIAL FIBRILLATION IS THE most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia.It is also a potent risk factor for ischemic stroke, increasing the risk of stroke 5-fold and accounting for approximately 15% of all strokes nationally. 1 Symptomatic atrial fibrillation may also reduce quality of life, functional status, and cardiac performance. 2It is associated with higher medical costs as well as an increased risk of death. 3Specifying the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the United States has important implications for understanding the population burden of disability and medical costs associated with this arrhythmia.][8] Overall, these limitations may reduce the generalizability of prior studies' results to current populations.We assembled a contemporary cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation to provide age-, sex-, and race-specific