Testing for Increased Risk of A Fib

Robert W. Griffith, MD

Atrial fibrillation is what cardiologists describe as an "irregular irregularity" of the heartbeat - in other words, the perceived rhythm from the ventricles is rapid but totally irregular. Atrial fibrillation is more common in old age, diabetes, obesity, and conditions affecting the left heart ventricle. And as people age, the likelihood of increased pulse pressure also rises. The pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Thus if your blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg, your pulse pressure is 40 mmHg. T he most important cause of elevated pulse pressure is stiffness and reduced elasticity of the aorta and arteries . A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has examined the possibility of a relationship between these two age-related changes.

Based on data from over 5,300 participants in the Framingham Heart Study collected over 16 years, it was found that the likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation increased with increasing pulse pressure; thus the incidence was 5.6% for people with pulse pressures of 40 mmHg or less, and 23.3% for those with pressures above 70 mmHg. Put another way, a 20 mmHg increase in pulse pressure was found to be associated with a 24% increase in the risk for developing atrial fibrillation.

Assuming pulse pressure is related to arterial stiffness, it should be possible to improve the situation by taking measures that restore arterial elasticity. One of these is stopping smoking. But general cardiovascular lifestyle measures (diet, exercise) and, if necessary, antihypertensive drugs, should do the trick.

Source
HealthandAge Blog

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.