By Nesli Williams, Sr. Manager of Marketing Communications, Ambulatory Cardiology & Digital Health at Cardiac Insight
Historically, atrial fibrillation (AFib) was most commonly diagnosed in older adults, with 70% of cases found in patients between ages 65 and 85.1 However, many of the associated lifestyle risk factors — such as obesity and hypertension — are increasing in prevalence. As a result, this once age-related disease now targets all populations. The largest nationwide population-based cohort study to date evaluated Korean AFib patients across all age groups, and found that AFib increased the risk of all-cause death nearly four times, with the highest standardized mortality ratio found in younger (< 20 years old) patients.2
These alarming statistics demonstrate the urgent need for a new approach to AFib treatment, as simply managing the disease is no longer enough to improve outcomes and reduce mortality rates.