Atrial Fibrillation May Be Worst for Women
NAPSI

Ladies, is your racing heart a sign of love or case of atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition in which the two small upper chambers of your heart quiver instead of beating properly?

An irregular heartbeat is more common in men but much more dangerous for women, according to researchers who have examined gender differences in the ailment that affects more than 2.5 million Americans. But new surgical and non-invasive approaches and innovations such as the Cardima Surgical System are offering patients new hope to treat the condition

"Women should be alarmed at the findings, but atrial fibrillation can, however, be successfully treated," says Dr. Didier F. Loulmet, a heart surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, where he is head of the Atrial Fibrillation Program. "Doctors can use drugs such as blood thinners, beta-blockers or digitalis to regulate the heartbeat. If this fails, new methods are now available to re-establish normal heart rhythm."
Last year, a study at Bispebjerg University Hospital in Copenhagen found women with atrial fibrillation were more than four times likely to suffer a stroke than men with the disorder. Published findings in the journal, Circulation, also indicate women are at least 30 percent more likely than men to die early from atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart rhythm abnormality. It is estimated to affect up to 2 percent of all people, and up to 14 percent of the elderly. Symptoms include palpitations, breathlessness, and tiredness; the major hazard is an increased risk of stroke.

The Cardima Ablation System was first utilized by cardiac surgeons at Lenox Hill Hospital to repair damaged heart tissue in patients with a long history of chronic AF in conjunction with valve disease. The procedure is composed of a surgical ablation probe, an energy management device, and a unique delivery system. These collectively enable the surgeon to create curvilinear scars in the heart muscle or walls. This scar tissue blocks the signals which cause the heart to go into atrial fibrillation. This significantly increases the potential for surgeons to effectively treat atrial fibrillation.

"Gender may play an important part in determining the chances of survival for people with irregular heartbeats, but with the new flux of modern medicine, women can beat atrial fibrillation. So in the near future, women's hearts will quiver with desire not disease," says Dr. Loulmet.

For more information on AF, log onto www.cardima.com. [PRNewswire]

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