Increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation and flutter in the United States

Increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation and flutter in the United States.

Naccarelli GV, Varker H, Lin J, Schulman KL.

Pennsylvania State Heart and Vascular Institute, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. gnaccarelli@hmc.psu.edu

Abstract

The prevalence data for atrial fibrillation (AF) are dated. The present retrospective study estimated the current and projected prevalence of AF and atrial flutter (AFL) in the United States using a large national database. Claims data drawn from July 2004 to December 2005 from the MarketScan research databases from Thomson Reuters were used to identify patients aged >or=20 years with nontransient AF and/or AFL and age- and gender-matched controls without these conditions. Of the 21,648,681 patients in the databases, 242,903 (1.12%) had nontransient AF and/or AFL (222,605 AF only, 5,376 AFL only, and 14,922 AF and AFL). Patients with AF only, AFL only, and AF and AFL had a greater (p <0.001) prevalence of co-morbidities, including hypertension (62.0%, 61.3%, and 57.0%, respectively) and coronary artery disease (43.0%, 44.7%, and 44.5%, respectively), than matched controls (45.1% hypertension and 19.4% coronary artery disease). Applying the US Census Bureau population estimates to the prevalence rates for AF and/or AFL in the databases, it was estimated that 3.03 million persons in the United States had AF only, 0.07 million had AFL only, and 0.19 million had AF and AFL in 2005. The projected prevalence for 2050 was 7.56 million for AF only, 0.15 million for AFL only, and 0.44 million for AF and AFL. In conclusion, the current prevalence of AF and AFL is high and is projected to increase considerably by 2050. The current and projected increases in the prevalence of AF are greater than predicted by a previous sentinel study and might reflect more than the aging of the population.

[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Erling,

Unfortunately they did not distinguish between common afib and lone afib, so it is not possible to see how the data applies to lone afib.

[www.afibbers.com] (From the February 2010 issue of The AFIB Report)

Hans

Erling - It would seem that your earlier post observing that the cause of increased incidence of AF is the result of 'civilization'...applies here which could account for both types of AF - especially when a structural defect is not the cause. Even with Mitral Valve Prolapse, a magnesium deficiency is has been shown to be involved, so might fit in the 'chicken/egg' category of which came first... the prolapse or the deficency that facilitated the prolapse.

We know that nutritional deficiencies as a result of poor dietary choices and lifestyles influence a number of conditions that contribute to AF...
including hypertension and diabetes... so it's not surprising that all forms of atrial fibrillation are on the rise and in populations that are younger than the typical age.

Retired neurosurgeon, Russell Blaylock, MD, reports that when he began using magnesium IVs with his surgeries, he found the typical accompanying AF after-effect was eliminated. Since magnesium deficiency is found in upwards of 80% of the population, it's logical that the increased stress-load of a surgical procedure would easily deplete the small magnesium stores most patients have in heart cells...thus, arrhythmia. In the aging populations now having various joint replacement surgeries, it's not at all uncommon for them to experience heart arrhythmia after the procedure. I know several people who experienced post-surgical arrhythmia.

Unless or until, the public and mainstream medicine becomes educated on the fundamentals and puts them into practice, we'll see an increased incidence of all these adverse health conditions that are directly related to diet and lifestyle. Couple that with the increased exposure to the toxic frequencies (electropollution) from wireless exposure, it won't be at all surprising to see arrhythmias in a much younger population.

Jackie