Study Finds Huge Surge In "Silent Killer" Condition

The team at Aalborg University in Denmark also found up to two in five patients of atrial fibrillation are likely to get heart failure, while one in five will suffer a stroke.

A serious heart condition, dubbed the "silent killer", is threatening a significantly higher population, a new study has found. The research has alarmed health experts as it challenges the existing belief that atrial fibrillation (AFib), which causes irregular heartbeat, affects only around a quarter of adults. The study has been conducted by Danish researchers who analysed the health records of millions of adults. The exact cause of atrial fibrillation is unknown, but it is known to be more common in people with high blood pressure, as well as those who are obese.

The team at Aalborg University in Denmark also found up to two in five patients of atrial fibrillation are likely to get heart failure, while one in five will suffer a stroke.

Atrial fibrillation is called a "silent killer" because it does not always display symptoms, and is one contributing factors to strokes and heart failure.