How do they test for atrial fibrillation?
Your doctor may order several tests to diagnose your condition, including:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG). ...
- Holter monitor. ...
- Event recorder. ...
- Echocardiogram. ...
- Blood tests. ...
- Stress test. ...
- Chest X-ray.
- Study of 30,000 NHS patients with atrial fibrillation found they were at higher risk if they took aspirin
- Patients were 1.9 times as likely to have an acute heart attack, it found
- Research carried out by Southampton University and Maastricht University
Aspirin
taken by thousands of people to thin the blood and ward off strokes
could double the risk of heart attacks, experts have warned.
A
study of 30,000 NHS patients found those with atrial fibrillation - a
heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart
rate - were at higher risk if they took aspirin than other drugs.
Researchers
from Southampton University and Maastricht University in the
Netherlands examined health records of people who were prescribed
warfarin, aspirin or a new generation of pills to prevent stroke.
They
found patients who took aspirin were 1.9 times as likely to suffer an
acute heart attack as those who took warfarin, one of a class of drugs
called vitamin K antagonists.
A study of 30,000 NHS patients
found those with atrial fibrillation - a heart condition that causes an
irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate - were at higher risk if
they took aspirin than other drugs
Study
leader Dr Leo Stolk, from Maastricht, said: ‘Oral anticoagulant
treatment with vitamin K antagonists has been the cornerstone for the
prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation for decades.
‘We identified an ... increased risk of [heart attacks] among current and past aspirin users in comparison with VKAs.
‘There
also exists doubt about the usefulness of aspirin in atrial
fibrillation. In new guidelines aspirin is no longer included.’
The
paper, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, found
a new class of drugs called direct oral anticoagulants - or DOACs -
were also linked to a doubling in heart attack risk.
The
study looked at prescription history and heart problems among NHS
patients - 15,400 who were users of aspirin, 13,098 of VKAs, 1,266 of
DOACs or 382 who took a mixture.
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