According to the National Stroke Association, atrial fibrillation, or Afib, affects the health of over 2 million people in the US alone. Afib is an irregular heartbeat that can be caused when the heart’s two upper chambers beat in an unpredictable fashion. This sort of irregular heartbeat can cause blood to gather in the heart and eventually form a clot. That clot can then break off, travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
The National Stroke Association wants to increase awareness about how Afib and higher risk or stroke are closely related. That is why the National Stroke Association has started a new effort that is called the Afib-Stroke Connection. This effort tries to give educational resources to people who have Afib, as well as to their caregivers and doctors. The hope is that this educational effort will increase awareness and prevent many strokes from ever occurring.
The Afib-Stroke Connection is providing tools to doctors and staff to enable discussion between those with Afib and their healthcare providers.
The Facts of Afib and Stroke
According to the Association:
- Afib is one of the leading risk factors for stroke.
- Afib happens in people over 60 more often.
- Afib often does not show symptoms easily, so many people may not know that they have it.
- Afib can be managed with the help of your doctor.
- About 15% of people who had strokes also have Afib.
- If you know about your Afib and manage it, it can help you to prevent a stroke.
- About 80% of strokes in people who have Afib can be prevented.
Resources for People Who Have Had a Stroke
Whether your stroke was related to Afib or not, living with a stroke is much easier with the help of many of the tools, resources and products available today.
For example, there are many helpful books and resources that can provide you with more information about how to deal with the long term health consequences of stroke. The Family Guide to Long Term Care is very helpful for caregivers and loved ones to learn how to deal with the changes in their loved one due to stroke or other health-related conditions related to aging.
The book 100 Questions and Answers About a Stroke provides you with practical and authoritative answers to the common questions about stroke asked both by patients and caregivers. This book provides a lot of detail about what causes stroke, treatments, diet and exercise plans and more.
