AFib Frequently Undiagnosed in a Population at Risk for Stroke

Atrial fibrillation (AFib, AF) is a cause of morbidity and mortality, irrespective of symptoms. In many, a stroke is the first symptom of AF. Risk for embolic events is related to the CHA₂DS₂-VASC score. Investigators in Sweden sought to determine how many individuals aged 75 and 76 had undiagnosed AF. This age was chosen because all individuals that age have a CHA₂DS₂-VASC score of at least 2.

Individuals were invited to undergo frequent electrocardiogram (ECG) screening for a 2-week period. Of 13,331 invitees, 7173 underwent screening. Of these, 666 (9.3%) had a known previous diagnosis of AF, and 517 (78%) of these were on anticoagulation. During the 2-week screening, an additional 218 (3.0%) had ECG documentation of AF; 93% agreed to ant…