Who gets Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?

Who is affected by AF?

Atrial Fibrillation is the world’s most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting more than 2.2 million Americans¹ and millions of people worldwide. Each year, approximately 160,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with AF.

AF is a progressive disease – its prevalence increases markedly with age, from less than 1 percent for those younger than age 60, to roughly 1 in every 10 persons aged 80 years or older. In the U.S., AF affects 2.3 percent of people older than 40 years of age and 5.9 percent of persons over age 65. The median age of individuals with AF is 75 years old.

AF also occurs in as many as 53 percent of patients undergoing cardiac operations,² often causing a permanent condition.

Studies have shown that men have a higher risk of developing Atrial Fibrillation than women, and Caucasians have a higher prevalence than African Americans.¹ AF accounts for one fourth of all strokes in the elderly and in the US alone, Atrial Fibrillation is estimated to be responsible for more than 70,000 strokes each year.³

Approximately 1 in 10,000 otherwise healthy young adults have AF without underlying heart disease. This type of AF, called Lone AF, is usually intermittent but can become chronic in about 25 percent of the cases. Stress, alcohol consumption, tobacco use or the use of stimulants may play a role in causing Lone AF.

¹Go AS, Hylek EM, Phillips KA, Chang Y, Henault LE, Selby JV, Singer DE. Prevalence of diagnosed atrial fibrillation in adults. National implications for rhythm management and stroke prevention: the anticoagulation and risk factors in atrial fibrillation (ATRIA) study. JAMA. 2001; 285: 2370–2375.
²Daoud EG, Strickberger A, Man KC, et al. Postoperative amiodarone as a prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation after heart surgery. New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 337: 1785-1791.
³American Heart Association. What is Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?, retrieved December 1, 2006.