Men Develop Irregular Heartbeat Earlier than Women; Extra Weight a Factor

Being overweight is a major risk factor.

According to a large new study, men tend to build up a kind of irregular heartbeat earlier than women. The major cause behind this is being overweight, that suggested as a major risk factor.

This irregular heartbeat pattern, also known as atrial fibrillation, where upper chambers of the heart, quiver instead of beat to move blood effectively. Such condition often causes heart-related death or stroke.

As statistics suggest, almost 2.7 and 6 million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation. Risk factors include body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, previous heart attack or stroke and presence of heart disease.

Study author Christina Magnussen, M.D said, “It’s crucial to better understand modifiable risk factors for atrial fibrillation. If prevention strategies succeed in targeting these risk factors, we expect a noticeable decline in new-onset atrial fibrillation.”

“This would lead to less illness, fewer deaths and lower health-related costs.”

Scientists gathered data from 79,793 people aged 24 to 97 in four community-based studies in Europe. The members did not have atrial fibrillation at the start. Later evaluations of their wellbeing with a middle follow-up time of 12.6 to a greatest of 28.2 years demonstrated that 4.4 percent of the ladies and 6.4 percent of the men had been determined to have the condition.

Scientists noted, atrial fibrillation:

  • Diagnosis rates jumped when men were 50 or older and women were 60 or older;
  • Developed in about 24 percent of both men and women by age 90;
  • Onset was tied to higher blood levels of C-reactive protein (inflammation marker) in men; and
  • New atrial fibrillation cases increased more in men than women with increases in body mass index (BMI): 31 percent in men and 18 percent in women.

Higher cholesterol linked to heart disease. But here, scientists found higher cholesterol lowered risk for developing atrial fibrillation, especially in women. However, researchers are unsure why this happens.

Magnussen said, “We advise weight reduction for both men and women. As lifted weight file is by all accounts more adverse for men, weight control is by all accounts fundamental, especially in overweight and fat men.”

As its design, the study didn’t enlighten pathophysiological factors causing gender gaps in atrial fibrillation risk.

Scientists noted, “The atrial fibrillation might have been underdiagnosed at the study’s start and later records may not reflect all cases.”

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