(NAPSA)—If you or someone you care about is amongthe estimated 46 million Americans age 65 or older—or hope to be someday—here’s something you should know. Seniors are at the highest risk for developing an irregular heartbeat, called atrial fibrillation or AFib,that, left untreated, could in- crease their risk for stroke by five times and doublesthe chanceofheart-related death—but youcan protect yourself. Older Americans are more susceptible to the dangers ofatrial fibrilAFibis an increasingly commoncon- lation but there are ways to reduce dition, affecting more than 2.7 million yourrisk. ‘The Condition Americans. The chances of developing AFibincrease with age,affecting about 9 percentof people over age 65. Other risk factors include uncontrolled high blood. pressure, underlying heart disease, family history, obesity and sleep apnea. Lifestyle factors that could increase your risk include excessive consumption ofalcohol, smoking and prolonged athletic training. AFib occurs whenelectrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart be- come chaotic, disrupting the regular rhythm ofthe heart anditsability to ef- ficiently move bloodthrough its cham- bers; that is, AFib causes the heart's upper chamberto quiver rather than to pump. When bloodcollects in the upper chambers or moves slowly, a clot can form andpotentially cause strokeif it is pumpedoutofthe heart andtravels to the brain. While technology has madeit eas- ier for medical professionals to detect AFib,olderpatients maynot experience or fail to recognize symptoms, which can includea fluttering heartbeat, heart palpitations,light-headedness or feeling winded even while at rest. Other, less common symptomsinclude chest pain orfainting. “For manypeople,strokeis their first nor, M.D., Ph.D., Directorof the Cardi- ac Arrhythmia Service at Massachusetts GeneralHospital. What To Do The good newsis that recognizing the symptomsof AFib andgettingtreatmentcan significantly reducetherisk of stroke, “AFibis a leading cause ofstroke but it is treatable. That's whyit’s so important to understand your risks and recognize any symptomsyou may have,’ Dr. Ellinorsaid. Treatment for AFib using blood thinnershas also becomeeasier, thanks to new medications that don’t require repeated blood tests and are more effective at stroke prevention. For some people, a surgical procedure in which thedisruptive heart tissue is destroyed, called a cardiac ablation, can also be effective in preventing future occurrences of AFib. If you suspect you have AFib, meet with yourdoctor and continue with any treatment, evenif you nolongerexperi- ence symptoms,Dr.Ellinorsaid. Learn More Forfurther facts about AFib,including risk factors, symptoms andtreatment,visit the American Heart Association at www.heart.org/afibawareness. symptom of AFib,”says Patrick T. Elli‘The American Heart Associations AFib awareness campaign 1s made possible with funding from the Bristol-Myers Squibb/PfizerAlliance.
