Medical Dialogues
  • Dermatology
Login Register
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
Login Register
  • MD Brand Connect
  • Vaccine Hub
  • MDTV
    • Breaking News
    • Medical News Today
    • Health News Today
    • Latest
    • Journal Club
    • Medico Legal Update
    • Latest Webinars
    • MD Shorts
    • Health Dialogues
  • Fact Check
  • Health Dialogues
Medical Dialogues
  • Medical News & Guidelines
      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiology and CTVS
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diabetes and Endocrinology
      • ENT
      • Gastroenterology
      • Medicine
      • Nephrology
      • Neurology
      • Obstretics-Gynaecology
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopaedics
      • Pediatrics-Neonatology
      • Psychiatry
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Surgery
      • Urology
      • Laboratory Medicine
      • Diet
      • Nursing
      • Paramedical
      • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
      • Doctor News
      • Government Policies
      • Hospital & Diagnostics
      • International Health News
      • Medical Organization News
      • Medico Legal News
      • NBE News
      • NMC News
  • Fact Check
      • Bone Health Fact Check
      • Brain Health Fact Check
      • Cancer Related Fact Check
      • Child Care Fact Check
      • Dental and oral health fact check
      • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
      • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
      • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
      • Fitness fact check
      • Gut health fact check
      • Heart health fact check
      • Kidney health fact check
      • Medical education fact check
      • Men's health fact check
      • Respiratory fact check
      • Skin and hair care fact check
      • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
      • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
    • Homeopathy
    • Siddha
    • Unani
    • Yoga
  • State News
      • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
      • Andhra Pradesh
      • Arunachal Pradesh
      • Assam
      • Bihar
      • Chandigarh
      • Chattisgarh
      • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
      • Daman and Diu
      • Delhi
      • Goa
      • Gujarat
      • Haryana
      • Himachal Pradesh
      • Jammu & Kashmir
      • Jharkhand
      • Karnataka
      • Kerala
      • Ladakh
      • Lakshadweep
      • Madhya Pradesh
      • Maharashtra
      • Manipur
      • Meghalaya
      • Mizoram
      • Nagaland
      • Odisha
      • Puducherry
      • Punjab
      • Rajasthan
      • Sikkim
      • Tamil Nadu
      • Telangana
      • Tripura
      • Uttar Pradesh
      • Uttrakhand
      • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
      • Ayush Education News
      • Dentistry Education News
      • Medical Admission News
      • Medical Colleges News
      • Medical Courses News
      • Medical Universities News
      • Nursing education News
      • Paramedical Education News
      • Study Abroad
  • Industry
      • Health Investment News
      • Health Startup News
      • Medical Devices News
      • Pharma News
      • Pharmacy Education News
      • Industry Perspective
  • MDTV
      • Health Dialogues MDTV
      • Health News today MDTV
      • Latest Videos MDTV
      • Latest Webinars MDTV
      • MD shorts MDTV
      • Medical News Today MDTV
      • Medico Legal Update MDTV
      • Top Videos MDTV
      • Health Perspectives MDTV
      • Journal Club MDTV
      • Medical Dialogues Show
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
LoginRegister
Medical Dialogues
LoginRegister
  • Home
  • Medical news & Guidelines
    • Anesthesiology
    • Cardiology and CTVS
    • Critical Care
    • Dentistry
    • Dermatology
    • Diabetes and Endocrinology
    • ENT
    • Gastroenterology
    • Medicine
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstretics-Gynaecology
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Orthopaedics
    • Pediatrics-Neonatology
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonology
    • Radiology
    • Surgery
    • Urology
    • Laboratory Medicine
    • Diet
    • Nursing
    • Paramedical
    • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
    • Doctor News
    • Government Policies
    • Hospital & Diagnostics
    • International Health News
    • Medical Organization News
    • Medico Legal News
    • NBE News
    • NMC News
  • Fact Check
    • Bone Health Fact Check
    • Brain Health Fact Check
    • Cancer Related Fact Check
    • Child Care Fact Check
    • Dental and oral health fact check
    • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
    • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
    • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
    • Fitness fact check
    • Gut health fact check
    • Heart health fact check
    • Kidney health fact check
    • Medical education fact check
    • Men's health fact check
    • Respiratory fact check
    • Skin and hair care fact check
    • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
    • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
      • Ayurveda Giuidelines
      • Ayurveda News
    • Homeopathy
      • Homeopathy Guidelines
      • Homeopathy News
    • Siddha
      • Siddha Guidelines
      • Siddha News
    • Unani
      • Unani Guidelines
      • Unani News
    • Yoga
      • Yoga Guidelines
      • Yoga News
  • State News
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chandigarh
    • Chattisgarh
    • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
    • Daman and Diu
    • Delhi
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Haryana
    • Himachal Pradesh
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Jharkhand
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Ladakh
    • Lakshadweep
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Manipur
    • Meghalaya
    • Mizoram
    • Nagaland
    • Odisha
    • Puducherry
    • Punjab
    • Rajasthan
    • Sikkim
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Telangana
    • Tripura
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • Uttrakhand
    • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
    • Ayush Education News
    • Dentistry Education News
    • Medical Admission News
    • Medical Colleges News
    • Medical Courses News
    • Medical Universities News
    • Nursing education News
    • Paramedical Education News
    • Study Abroad
  • Industry
    • Health Investment News
    • Health Startup News
    • Medical Devices News
    • Pharma News
      • CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) News
    • Pharmacy Education News
    • Industry Perspective
  • Home
  • Cardiology-CTVS
  • Cardiology & CTVS News
  • Atrial fibrillation...

Atrial fibrillation screening tied to lower stroke risk in elderly: Lancet

Written By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2021-09-08T09:00:38+05:30  |  Updated On 8 Sept 2021 9:01 AM IST
Atrial fibrillation screening tied to lower stroke risk in elderly: Lancet
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Email

The findings indicate that at least 2,300 cases of stroke or death could be avoided per year in Sweden if a national screening of atrial fibrillation in the elderly was introduced.

Sweden: A recent study has suggested that atrial fibrillation screening in people aged 75- and 76-year-olds reduces the risk of stroke, death, and severe bleeding. The study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden is published in the journal The Lancet.

Atrial fibrillation, a form of arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, is associated with a five-fold increased risk of stroke. The symptoms are often deleterious since large blood clots can form in the heart, break free and risk clogging large vessels in the brain and cause stroke. Anticoagulant therapy reduces the risk of stroke. Still, countries do not screen the general population for atrial fibrillation, but rather treat those patients who are discovered during routine care.

"There has never really been a study that examines if it would be beneficial to screen for atrial fibrillation, which is why we wanted to investigate it," says Emma Svennberg, cardiologist at the Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, and researcher at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet.

Screening with thumb ECG

The study included all 75- and 76-year-olds, almost 28,000 in total, in the two Swedish regions of Halland and Stockholm. The participants were randomized to be invited either to screening (13,979 people) or to a control group (13,996 people), who received standard care. Of those who were invited to screening, more than half choose to participate. They completed a health questionnaire and performed a so-called thumb ECG (electrocardiogram), which involves placing one's thumbs on an ECG device that measures the heart's electrical activity.

Those without atrial fibrillation got to take home the ECG device and were asked to record their heart rhythm twice daily for two weeks. If the device registered irregular heart rhythms, the participants were referred to a cardiologist for a standardized work-up and, if there were no contra-indications, initiation of oral anticoagulant therapy.

Reduced risk of stroke, bleeding and death

All 28,000 individuals were then followed for at least five years. The detection of atrial fibrillation was higher in the screening group, and the screening group also had a slightly lower incidence of death, stroke and severe bleeding than the control group.

"In total, 31.9 percent of those in the screening group experienced a negative event compared to 33 percent in the control group," says Johan Engdahl, adjunct lecturer at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyds Hospital, at Karolinska Institutet. "Now, that may sound like a small difference, but you must bear in mind that only about half of those invited to screening participated and it's possible we would have seen a more pronounced difference had more people turned up for screening. Those who participated in the screening had significantly fewer negative events."

According to the researchers, the findings indicate that at least 2,300 cases of stroke or death could be avoided per year in Sweden if a national screening of atrial fibrillation in the elderly was introduced.

Cost-effective

The researchers have also conducted financial analysis, presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress this weekend, which shows that the screening is cost-effective.

"The results mean that decision-makers will be in a better position about deciding whether to move forward with recommending screening for atrial fibrillation in Sweden as well as internationally," Emma Svennberg says. "In future studies, we need to examine what it looks like in other health care settings in other countries and in different ethnical groups, and also if other age groups could benefit from screening."

Reference:

The study titled, "Clinical outcomes in systematic screening for atrial fibrillation (STROKESTOP): a multicentre, parallel group, unmasked, randomised controlled trial," is published in the journal The Lancet.

DOI: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01637-8/fulltext

The Lancetatrial fibrillationstroke
Source : The Lancet
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Show Full Article
Next Story

Editorial

Featured image representing orthopaedic care

Modern Orthopaedic Care: How Is Technology Improving Movement and Recovery? - Dr Abhijit Lonari

Aspirin in Primary Prevention of Stroke-Review of Evidence Through the Needs of Indian Clinical Settings

Aspirin in Primary Prevention of Stroke-Review of Evidence Through the Needs of Indian Clinical...

Dapagliflozin Shines in Post-TAVI Patients:DAPA-TAVI Trial Findings

Dapagliflozin Shines in Post-TAVI Patients:DAPA-TAVI Trial Findings

Identifying Candidates for Aspirin in Primary Prevention: Men Aged 40-50 with Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, and Familial ASCVD Risk

Identifying Candidates for Aspirin in Primary Prevention: Men Aged 40-50 with Hypertension,...

Featured image representing thinking

Is Pharma Marketing Going Through "Thinking Recession"?

View All

Journal Club Today

Micro labs to offer mucolytic solution for respiratory care with its recently launched Pulmucus range

Micro labs to offer mucolytic solution for respiratory care with its recently launched Pulmucus...

View All

Health News Today

Health Bulletin 9/July/ 2025

Health Bulletin 9/July/ 2025

View All
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
Powered By: Hocalwire
X
We use cookies for analytics, advertising and to improve our site. You agree to our use of cookies by continuing to use our site. To know more, see our Cookie Policy and Cookie Settings.Ok