At the recent Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium, catheter ablation was presented as possibly a better atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment option for serious and professional athletes than antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). According to Dr. Riccardo Cappato (Institute Policlinics San Donato, Milan, Italy), antiarrhythmic drug therapy has not been popular with this patient population.”Even when effective, AADs significantly affect an athlete’s physical performance and inhibit eligibility at pre-qualification screenings,” said Dr. Cappato. “Catheter ablation offers an unprecedented opportunity for these athletes to come back to their sport, especially when healthy [pre-participation screening] certificates are required to compete in countries such as mine.”

During the same session, Dr. Stanley Nattel (Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada) presented a small animal study with rats that suggested that strenuous exercise may have contributed to their development of atrial fibrillation.

To learn more, read: Catheter Ablation May be Better Atrial Fibrillation Treatment than Drugs for Serious and Professional Athletes

Tags: Catheter ablation, Causes or Triggers, Events, Exercise, Prevention, Risk, Treatment by Mellanie
1 Comment »

Urgent coordinated action is needed to avoid the thousands of preventable strokes that leave many atrial fibrillation (AF) patients mentally and physically disabled or dead every year. A report, How Can We Avoid a Stroke Crisis?, was launched today in the European Parliament in Brussels by Action for Stroke Prevention, a group of health experts from across Europe.

It proposes measures to tackle stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (afib), the most common, sustained abnormal heart rhythm and a major cause of stroke. Their proposal, endorsed by 17 leading European medical professional and patient organizations, calls for EU policy makers and Member State governments to act before the increasing frequency of these strokes becomes a major public health crisis.

StopAfib.org is proud to be one of the 17 organizations involved in and endorsing this report.

To learn more, read: Action for Stroke Prevention Launches New Health Report Exposing Imminent Risk of a Stroke Crisis in Europe

Tags: Advocacy, Anticoagulation, Medication, Prevention, Stroke by Mellanie
No Comments »

A newly published study shows obesity is a major risk factor for left atrial enlargement (LAE), a condition in which the left upper chamber of the heart is oversized. That’s important to people who are concerned about atrial fibrillation (AF) because LAE is a risk factor for afib, stroke and death.

Read more: Obesity Raises Risk of Left Atrial Enlargement, a Risk Factor for Atrial Fibrillation

Tags: Causes or Triggers, High blood pressure, Prevention, Stroke, Study by Mellanie
No Comments »

Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that disrupts breathing during sleep, is believed to be linked to atrial fibrillation (AF) but until now, we didn’t know if apnea could actually trigger arrhythmias like afib. Now a new study shows the odds of having an abnormal heartbeat are 18 times higher immediately after an apnea episode, compared to the risk during normal sleep breathing.

Read: Sleep Apnea Multiplies Risk of Arrhythmias Like Atrial Fibrillation

Tags: Causes or Triggers, Prevention, Sleep Apnea, Study, Treatment by Mellanie
3 Comments »

This September, StopAfib.org marks the third year of celebrating Atrial Fibrillation Month to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation (afib), an expensive and life-threatening irregular heartbeat that is a common cause of stroke.

StopAfib.org founder, Mellanie True Hills, knows the toll that atrial fibrillation takes on those with it and their families. After surviving blood clots and a near-stroke during her first afib episode, she lived in constant fear of her next, always wondering if a deadly stroke was inevitable. As a patient who was unable to stabilize on Coumadin® (warfarin), a challenging blood thinner that helps avoid strokes, she was frightened that she was “a stroke walking around waiting to happen.”

Once she was cured surgically of this common cardiac arrhythmia, she couldn’t stand on the sidelines and watch others suffer so she started StopAfib.org, for patients by patients. StopAfib.org helps those living the nightmare of atrial fibrillation.

Since afib frequently isn’t diagnosed until after a stroke, or two, and identifying the problem can be a multi-year process, she has a sense of urgency around raising awareness of atrial fibrillation that only an afib survivor can possess.

Learn more about Atrial Fibrillation Month and living with afib at:
September 2009 is Atrial Fibrillation Month: StopAfib.org patient resource raises awareness of expensive and life-threatening irregular heartbeat

Please help us with Afib Month in the following ways:

• Contact Us to alert us to any special Afib Month events so we can post them to the Atrial Fibrillation Month Events Calendar
• Tell others about afib and where to learn more
• If you know a journalist or reporter that can help spread the word, or if you, or someone you know, has a blog that can help, please Contact Us so we can arrange something
• Bring attention to Atrial Fibrillation Month by bookmarking this story at your favorite bookmarking sites — it’s easy, just by clicking on the “Share” button below you can select your favorite bookmarking sites
• Let us know what stories you see about afib this month

Stay tuned…there’s more coming. Let’s get some buzz going about atrial fibrillation this month. Thanks for your help in spreading the word about atrial fibrillation and helping to wipe out afib-related strokes.

Tags: Advocacy, Events, General, High blood pressure, Mellanie True Hills, Prevention, Sleep Apnea by Mellanie
1 Comment »

Sleep apnea is an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation. It is also associated with hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and insulin resistance, all of which are risk factors for, or results of, atrial fibrillation.

Now a new study has just reported that men between the ages of 40 and 70 who have severe sleep apnea have twice the risk of death as men without sleep apnea. Though women are probably also at increased risk, the study did not have enough women with sleep apnea to draw conclusions regarding an association between sleep apnea and death.

Sleep apnea is believed to impact about one in four men and one in ten women, and most are not aware that they have the problem. The article below contains very important information for both men and women with afib.

Read: Severe Sleep Apnea Doubles Risk of Death in Men — Implications for Those with Atrial Fibrillation

Tags: Causes or Triggers, High blood pressure, Prevention, Sleep Apnea, Symptoms, Treatment by Mellanie
3 Comments »

StopAfib.org recently spoke with Dr. Anne Cahill, a cardiothoracic surgeon, about arrhythmias and supplements, including Omega-3 fatty acids. Watch the interview at:

Video Interview with Dr. Anne Cahill

Tags: Audio/Video, Prevention by Mellanie
3 Comments »

We continue to learn more about the family connection in atrial fibrillation. A second gene was just found that increases the risk of afib and stroke.

At least one third of those of European descent carry one copy of the newly-discovered variant in the ZFHX3 gene and have a 20% increase in risk of afib and cardioembolic strokes, those that originate from clots from the heart.

These findings will be integrated into DNA testing for atrial fibrillation and stroke risk from deCODE Genetics.

Learn more: Second Gene Identified That Increases Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke

Tags: Causes or Triggers, Family, Prevention, Risk, Study by Mellanie
No Comments »

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds a potential warning sign for three heart rhythm issues—the risk of atrial fibrillation, the need for a pacemaker, and the risk of death.

When EKGs show a prolonged PR interval, that is traditionally considered relatively benign, but that may not be the case. Increases in the length of the PR interval may actually be a warning about the patient’s atrial fibrillation risk, need for a pacemaker, or even death.

Learn more: EKG Warns of Potential Atrial Fibrillation Risk

Tags: Prevention, Risk, Symptoms by Mellanie
1 Comment »

A new study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that increasing severity of sleep apnea is associated with a progressively increasing risk of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias.

The type of sleep apnea matters:

• Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of ventricular events
• Central sleep apnea is common in heart failure and is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation

It’s possible that treating sleep apnea could improve the arrhythmia, but there’s currently no proof of that. The study was done on men, but likely applies to women, too.

To learn more, read: Sleep Apnea Severity Increases the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Ventricular Arrhythmias

Tags: Causes or Triggers, Prevention, Risk, Symptoms by Mellanie
3 Comments »