Poor treatment of abnormal heart rhythm puts patients' lives at risk
A new campaign calls for urgent action to improve patients' health and reduce costs to National Health systems. A report[1] published today by the AFAn abbreviation for atrial fibrillation AWARE partnership warns that the lives of thousands of patients with atrial fibrillationA common abnormal heart rhythm causing a rapid, irregular pulse and failure of the upper chambers of the heart (atria) to pump properly. Abbreviated to AF. (AF) could be at risk due to poor diagnosisThe process of determining which condition a patient may have., failure to follow treatment guidelines and lack of quality information for patients suffering from this debilitating heart condition.
The report argues that poor diagnosis and treatment of AF may lead to increased risk of hospitalization, strokeAny sudden neurological problem caused by a bleed or a clot in a blood vessel. and other cardiovascular complications, as well as to unnecessary costs to individuals and to healthcare systems in Europe. These findings come at a time when experts are meeting in London to exchange insights about the effective management of AF, at the EuropeAF conference. The findings have prompted an urgent call from the AF AWARE partnership for European-wide improvements.
Six million people across Europe are affected by AF[1], making it the most common cardiacRelating to the heart arrhythmiaAn abnormal heart rhythm. (abnormal heart rhythm). While common symptoms include palpitationsThe feeling when you become aware of your heartbeat - when frightened, for example., shortness of breath and dizziness, some patients with AF experience no symptoms. AF increases a person's risk of stroke by four to five fold.[2]
"AF is a serious, progressiveContinuously increasing in extent or severity. and chronicA disease of long duration generally involving slow changes. disease, which can have devastating consequences on patients and healthcare systems" said Professor Günter Breithardt, spokesperson for the World Heart Federation. "This report highlights missed opportunities to manage AF more effectively, saving costs to European healthcare systems and most importantly, saving patients' lives."
The report reveals inconsistencies in adherence to treatment guidelines, inadequate patient resources, and a lack of country-level estimates of AF incidenceThe number of new episodes of a condition arising in a certain group of people over a specified period of time. and prevalence, which raises concerns that AF may be vastly underdiagnosed. This may hinder effective planning within national healthcare systems.
What is Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?
AF results from abnormal electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart (atriaThe two upper chambers of the heart.), leading to an irregular heart rhythm which prevents the bloodA fluid that transports oxygen and other substances through the body, made up of blood cells suspended in a liquid. from efficiently being pumped toward the rest of the body. Common symptoms of AF include palpitations (a rapid, irregular, "flopping" movement or pounding sensation in the chest), shortness of breath, dizziness and feeling of heaviness in the chest. Age, obesityExcess accumulation of fat in the body., hypertensionHigh blood pressure., myocardial infarctionDeath of an area of heart muscle due to poor blood supply. This is commonly known as a heart attack. (MIMyocardial infarction. Death of a segment of heart muscle, which follows interruption of its blood supply.), congestive heart failureFailure of the heart to pump adequately. (CHF) and valvular heart diseases put patients at increased risk of developing AF and AF itself worsens the prognosisAn assessment of the likely progress of a condition. of patients with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or myocardial infarction.
