Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a five-fold increase in risk of stroke compared to those without but many may not be aware that they have the condition. To better understand the prevalence of AF in Singapore, NHCS is recruiting 2500 patients with chronic disease but without AF to participate in the study.
A heart beats about 100,000 times a day but for a patient with AF, the episode occurs in 1-2 mins’ time so many may not be aware that they have the condition. A point to note is that patients with AF have a five-fold increase in risk of stroke compared to those without, hence it is important to seek treatment early once one sense something is amiss.
About 15% of strokes are related to AF and it also causes transient ischemic attack.
In patients with AF, the heart muscle loses the ability to contract, resulting in abnormal heart rhythm. With the quivering, blood doesn’t flow well and with stasis of blood, clots can be formed and if the clot dislodged and gets to the brain, it may cause a stroke.
As the AF episode is short, it is believed that there may be many patients undetected and didn’t receive timely treatment.
Associate Professor Ching Chi Keong, Director, Electrophysiology and Pacing and Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHCS said diabetes, hypertension, congenital heart problems and previous heart attack may cause AF and the risk increases for those 50 and above.
“We cannot predict when AF will occur, the patient may be at rest or even in sleep. When it happens, the upper chamber races away in excess of 400 beats per min but the heart beats on average at 70-80 times per min.
Over time, it may cause stroke and heart failure and patients will also feel tired easily.”
NHCS sees about 1000 AF-related admissions a year.
As the AF episode is short, it is believed that there may be many patients undetected and didn’t receive timely treatment.
Prof Ching said, “AF is usually diagnosed on an ECG but when a patient sees a specialist and if his symptoms didn’t occur or are back to normal, the doctor would not be able to pick up the problem.”
NHCS recruits volunteers for study
To better understand the prevalence of AF in the local population and help patients seek early treatment, NHCS plans to recruit 2500 patients over 3 years. The criteria include those between the age of 21-80 years old with diabetes, hypertension, congenital heart disease or previous heart attack but without AF.
Associate Professor Philip Wong (L), Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHCS and Associate Professor Ching Chi Keong (R), Director, Electrophysiology and Pacing and Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHCS, holding up the small portable ECG device that can be paired with a smart phone for continuous ECG monitoring for a week. (Photo credit: Lianhe Zaobao)
Associate Professor Philip Wong, Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHCS said that the participants will be loaned a small portable ECG device paired with a smart phone for continuous ECG monitoring for a week and the data will be transmitted to a central server real-time.
Associate Professor Deidre Anne De Silva, Senior Consultant, Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute said, “This study will allow physicians to develop strategies for atrial fibrillation detection which is the first step in stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation.”
The study is conducted at NHCS, NUH, NNI and CGH. Eligible patients who would like to participate in the study can call 67042274 during office hours.
Source:[Lianhe Zaobao] © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Translated with permission.
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