Estimating the current and future prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the Australian adult population

Ball, Jocasta; Thompson, David R.; Carrington, Melinda; Gerber, Tracey; Stewart, Simon

doi:10.5694/mja14.00238

Cited by 85 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…AF prevalence in the Australian population is estimated to rise significantly over the next two decades 19. In people with AF, both stroke and death are greatly reduced by treatment with oral anticoagulant (by ∼64% and 26% respectively) 17…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunistic screening to detect atrial fibrillation in Aboriginal adults in Australia

et al. 2016

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IntroductionThere is a 10-year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. The leading cause of death for Aboriginal Australians is cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke. Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is a known precursor to stroke there are no published studies about the prevalence of AF for Aboriginal people and limited evidence about AF in indigenous populations globally.Methods and analysisThis mixed methods study will recruit and train Aboriginal health workers to use an iECG device attached to a smartphone to consecutively screen 1500 Aboriginal people aged 45 years and older. The study will quantify the proportion of people who presented for follow-up assessment and/or treatment following a non-normal screening and then estimate the prevalence and age distribution of AF of the Australian Aboriginal population. The study includes semistructured interviews with the Aboriginal health workers about the effectiveness of the iECG device in their practice as well as their perceptions of the acceptability of the device for their patients. Thematic analysis will be undertaken on the qualitative data collected in the study. If the device and approach are acceptable to the Aboriginal people and widely adopted, it may help prevent the effects of untreated AF including ischaemic stroke and early deaths or impairment in Aboriginal people.Ethics and disseminationThis mixed methods study received ethics approval from the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (1135/15) and the Australian Health Council of Western Australia (HREC706). Ethics approval is being sought in the Northern Territory. The findings of this study will be shared with Aboriginal communities, in peer reviewed publications and at conferences. There are Aboriginal investigators in each state/territory where the study is being conducted who have been actively involved in the study. They will also be involved in data analysis, dissemination and research translation.Trial registration numberACTRN12616000459426.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunistic screening to detect atrial fibrillation in Aboriginal adults in Australia

et al. 2016

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“…For patients, it is associated with increased risk of stroke and HF as well as causing symptoms and impaired quality of life. AF seems likely to continue to increase in incidence and the costs to the healthcare system will continue to increase . Early diagnosis might be achieved by community screening programmes, but successful AF screening requires both an appropriate diagnostic tool as well as careful selection of the at‐risk population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with stroke, heart failure, increased all‐cause mortality and substantial financial cost . The epidemics of obesity, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome have been associated with the increasing prevalence of AF, which has become a significant population health problem . The early diagnosis of AF may lead to individualised lifestyle intervention and anticoagulation, and these steps may be associated with a reduction in complications and healthcare costs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between socioeconomic status and incident atrial fibrillation

Ramkumar

Ochi²,

Yang³

et al. 2019

Internal Medicine Journal

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Background Low socioeconomic status is associated with cardiovascular diseases, and an association with atrial fibrillation (AF) could guide screening. Aim To investigate if indices of advantage/disadvantage (IAD), index of education/occupation (IEO) and index of economic resources were associated with incident AF, independent of risk factors and cardiac function. Methods We studied community‐based participants aged ≥65 years with AF risk factors (n = 379, age 70 ± 4 years, 45% men). The CHARGE‐AF score (a well validated AF risk score) was used to assess 5‐year risk of developing AF. Participants also had baseline echocardiograms. IAD, IEO and index of economic resources were obtained from the 2011 Socio‐Economic Indexes for Areas score, in which higher decile ranks indicate more advantaged areas. Patients were followed up for incident AF (median 21 (range 5–31) months), with AF diagnosed by clinical review, including 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG), as well as single‐lead portable ECG monitoring used to record 60 s ECG tracings five times/day for 1 week. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between socioeconomic status and incident AF. Results Subjects with AF (n = 50, 13%) were more likely to be male (64 vs 42%, P = 0.003) and had higher CHARGE‐AF score (median 7.1% (5.2–12.8%) vs 5.3% (3.3–8.6%), P < 0.001). Areas with lower socioeconomic status (IAD and IEO) had a higher risk of incident AF independent of LV function and CHARGE‐AF score (hazard ratio for IAD 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.29, P = 0.005 and hazard ratio for IEO 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.30, P = 0.001). Conclusion Regional socioeconomic status is associated with risk of incident AF, independent of LV function and clinical risk. This association might permit better regional targeting of prevention.

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“…One‐third of all ischaemic strokes are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) . Over the next 15 years, the number of AF‐related strokes in Australia is likely to rise substantially because of the predicted rise in AF prevalence . It is conservatively estimated that by 2034 more than 600 000 people in Australia will have AF, but these numbers do not take into account the higher prevalence of AF among Indigenous Australians .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the next 15 years, the number of AF‐related strokes in Australia is likely to rise substantially because of the predicted rise in AF prevalence . It is conservatively estimated that by 2034 more than 600 000 people in Australia will have AF, but these numbers do not take into account the higher prevalence of AF among Indigenous Australians . The prevalence of AF among hospitalised Indigenous patients under 60 years of age was reported by one study to be 2.57%, compared with 1.73% for non‐Indigenous patients .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Time to develop guidelines for screening and management of atrial fibrillation in Indigenous Australians

Lowres

Freedman

2020

Medical Journal of Australia

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Estimating the current and future prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the Australian adult population

Abstract: These data are indicative of a largely underappreciated AF prevalence in Australia. They mandate a more systematic effort to both understand and respond to an evolving AF burden.

Cited by 85 publications

References 23 publications

Opportunistic screening to detect atrial fibrillation in Aboriginal adults in Australia

Opportunistic screening to detect atrial fibrillation in Aboriginal adults in Australia

Association between socioeconomic status and incident atrial fibrillation

Time to develop guidelines for screening and management of atrial fibrillation in Indigenous Australians

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