A Clinico-Demographic Profile of Atrial Fibrillation - A Hospital Based Descriptive Study from South India

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest arrhythmia seen in clinical practice. As it is known to contribute to significant mortality and morbidity, it is regarded as a major public health problem. There are various predisposing factors for AF such as hypertension, rheumatic heart disease...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of evolution of medical and dental sciences Vol. 9; no. 47; pp. 3551 - 3555
Main Authors Kuamr, Yerragunda Uday, Shastry, Barkur Ananthkrishna, Shetty, Ganesh V, Madhyastha, Sharath P
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Akshantala Enterprises Private Limited 23.11.2020
Subjects
Atrial fibrillation
Electrocardiography
Health aspects
Hypertension
India
Medical research
Mortality
Risk factors
India
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest arrhythmia seen in clinical practice. As it is known to contribute to significant mortality and morbidity, it is regarded as a major public health problem. There are various predisposing factors for AF such as hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, diabetes mellitus among many others. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical profile and echocardiographic features in patients of AF. METHODS A total of 103 patients aged above 18 years and recently diagnosed with AF were enrolled in the study. These patients were subjected to a detailed general physical and systemic examination. Relevant blood investigations, chest X-ray, electrocardiography, and echocardiography were done in all patients. Various clinical and investigational data were recorded, and results were tabulated. RESULTS The mean age of the study group was 63.5 [+ or -] 14.09 years with a male preponderance. AF secondary to a non-valvular aetiology (76.7 %) formed the majority. Hypertension was the most common cause overall contributing to 29.12 % followed by rheumatic heart disease (23.3 %). A total of 33 patients exhibited LA size greater than 5 cms and LA clot was observed in 4 % of patients on transthoracic echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS Hypertension is observed to be a major risk factor for AF and hence it needs to be detected and treated early. Improving the lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise can help in reducing the prevalence of hypertension and thus the risk of developing AF. KEY WORDS Atrial Fibrillation, Echocardiography, Arrhythmias
ISSN:2278-4748
2278-4802
DOI:10.14260/jemds/2020/779