Lifestyle
Heart Health Alert: What Doctors Want You to Know About Common Conditions
Nearly half of all adults in the United States are living with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Alarmingly, 20 percent of these individuals remain unaware of their condition. Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, affects about 5 percent of Americans and is characterized by an irregular heart rhythm. Doctors are now raising concerns that having both hypertension and AFib can be “like a ticking time bomb.”
Hypertension is often dubbed the “silent killer” because it typically lacks obvious symptoms and frequently goes undiagnosed. The Mayo Clinic describes hypertension as a condition where the blood’s force against artery walls is excessively high, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood efficiently. This condition can lead to severe health issues such as heart attacks and strokes.
Atrial fibrillation, on the other hand, is an irregular heartbeat where “the heart’s upper chambers—called the atria—beat chaotically and irregularly,” according to the Mayo Clinic. This causes them to be out of sync with the ventricles, the heart’s lower chambers. Symptoms may include a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness, and AFib also elevates the risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots.
AFib is noted as “the most common sustained rhythm disorder,” but it too often goes undiagnosed due to its asymptomatic nature. The relationship between these two cardiovascular conditions is crucial. A review article in the AHA’s journal Circulation highlights that hypertension is “the leading modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation” and is present in about 70 percent of AFib cases.
A study from 2015 published in the Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal found that hypertension “is associated with a 1.8-fold increase in the risk of developing new-onset AF and a 1.5-fold increase in the risk of progression to permanent AF.”
The review article, which includes insights from 29 international experts, emphasizes that “simultaneous screening for hypertension and heart arrhythmia could prevent thousands of strokes,” as noted in a press release. Despite the prevalence of both conditions, only blood pressure screenings are typically part of routine health checks, whereas AFib screenings are not.
Teemu Niiranen, MD, PhD, a professor at Finland’s University of Turku and a leading expert on hypertension, stated, “We already know that atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke fivefold, but there is also growing evidence linking it to dementia, making its early detection even more important.”
He further emphasized the critical nature of these conditions, saying, “The combination of high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation is like a ticking time bomb.”
Niiranen also highlighted the importance of early detection, noting, “A simple pulse check or an automatic alert of an irregular heart rate on a blood pressure monitor could mean the difference between early treatment and a life-altering stroke.” He advocates for incorporating AFib screenings into routine blood pressure checks to identify at-risk patients early, initiate appropriate treatment, and potentially save lives.
Experts recommend three straightforward methods to detect AFib:
– A 30-second pulse check from the wrist or neck to detect an irregular heartbeat.
– Blood pressure monitors equipped with irregular heartbeat alerts.
– Small, portable ECG monitors or smartwatches that can detect atrial fibrillation in under a minute.
With 70 percent of people with AFib also experiencing hypertension, the combination of these conditions is indeed “like a ticking time bomb,” as doctors warn. Routine screenings for atrial fibrillation could significantly reduce the risks of heart attack and stroke, potentially saving countless lives.
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