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Atrial Fibrillation pp 3–11Cite as

Epidemiology of Atrial Fibrillation The Rising Prevalence

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Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

Abstract

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing worldwide, resulting in a cardiovascular “epidemic.” The rise in the prevalence of AF can be predominantly attributed to aging of the population and a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases. The reasons for the increase in prevalence of AF has yet to be completely elucidated; age, gender, race, and cardiovascular disease have been shown to correlate with AF prevalence. It is estimated that AF affects 2.2 million individuals in the United States. However, the prevalence of AF may be underestimated because of a large number of asymptomatic individuals. It is projected that the aging of the population will result in 2.5-fold rise in the prevalence of AF by 2050. When considering both the aging of the population and the prevalence of AF, preventive measures that reduce the incidence of AF will have substantial economic and societal benefits.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrophysiologist, The Care Group, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Benzy J. Padanilam

  2. Clinical Electrophysiology Laboratory, St Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Eric N. Prystowsky (Director, Consulting Professor of Medicine)

  3. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Eric N. Prystowsky (Director, Consulting Professor of Medicine)

Authors
  1. Benzy J. Padanilam
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  2. Eric N. Prystowsky
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Arrhythmia Institute, St. David's Medical Center, Austin, Texas, USA

    Andrea Natale MD (Executive Medical Director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, Consulting Professor) (Executive Medical Director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, Consulting Professor)

  2. Division of Cardiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Andrea Natale MD (Executive Medical Director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, Consulting Professor) (Executive Medical Director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, Consulting Professor)

  3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    José Jalife MD (Professor of Internal Medicine, The Cyrus and Jane Farrehi Professor of Cardiovascular Research, Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology) (Professor of Internal Medicine, The Cyrus and Jane Farrehi Professor of Cardiovascular Research, Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology)

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© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Padanilam, B.J., Prystowsky, E.N. (2008). Epidemiology of Atrial Fibrillation The Rising Prevalence. In: Natale, A., Jalife, J. (eds) Atrial Fibrillation. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-163-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-163-5_1

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-856-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-163-5

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