Synopsis
The relatively high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and the associated impaired quality of life particularly in older women signifies the importance of this condition and its prevention. In age groups older than 75 years approximately 60 % of all AF patients are women. AF is associated with increased risk of CVD death and in some large population studies the risk has been found to be higher in women than in men.
The majority of older women and men with AF have a clinically manifest CVD or subclinical manifestations of CVD revealed by history and by a careful clinical evaluation. Lone AF is rare in elderly persons. Echocardiograhic and other imaging procedures will effectively identify subclinical CVD. Consideration of diagnostic procedures required for confirmation of clinical CVD and initiation of more effective therapeutic procedures seems warranted in patients with AF. AF treatment in women has been found more conservative than in men and intervention is delayed more commonly in women than in men although restoration of the sinus rhythm with electrical cardioversion has been found equally successful in women and men.
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Abbreviations
- AF:
-
Atrial fibrillation
- ARIC:
-
Arteriosclerotic heart risk in communities study
- CHS:
-
Cardiovascular health study
- CVD:
-
Cardiovascular disease
- HF:
-
Heart failure
- LBBB:
-
Left bundle branch block
- LVH:
-
Left ventricular hypertrophy
- MESA:
-
Multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis
- MI:
-
Myocardial infarction
- MRI:
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- TIA:
-
Transient ischemic attack
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Rautaharju, P.M. (2015). ECG Predictors of Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure. In: The Female Electrocardiogram. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15293-6_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15293-6_5
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