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Review
. 2024 Feb 1:37:100786.
doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100786. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Atrial fibrillation: epidemiology, screening and digital health

Dominik Linz  1   2 , Monika Gawalko  1   3 , Konstanze Betz  1   4 , Jeroen M Hendriks  5   6 , Gregory Y H Lip  7   8   9 , Nicklas Vinter  8   10   11 , Yutao Guo  12 , Søren Johnsen  8
Affiliations
Review

Atrial fibrillation: epidemiology, screening and digital health

Dominik Linz et al. Lancet Reg Health Eur. .

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is highly prevalent with a lifetime risk of about 1 in 3-5 individuals after the age of 45 years. Between 2010 and 2019, the global prevalence of AF has risen markedly from 33.5 million to 59 million individuals living with AF. Early detection of AF and implementation of appropriate treatment could reduce the frequency of complications associated with AF. International AF management guidelines recommend opportunistic and systematic screening for AF, but additional data are needed. Digital approaches and pathways have been proposed for early detection and for the transition to early AF management. Mobile health (mHealth) devices provide an opportunity for digital screening and should be part of novel models of care delivery based on integrated AF care pathways. For a broad implementation of mHealth-based, integrated care for patients with chronic diseases as AF, further high quality evidence is necessary. In this review, we present an overview of the present data on epidemiology, screening techniques, and the contribution of digital health solutions to the integrated management of AF. We also provide a systemic review on current data of digital and integrated AF management.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Digital health; Epidemiology; Mobile health; Screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter. Legend. North America is marked in blue, Latin America and Caribbean in dark green, Europe and Central Asia in red, Middle-East and North Africa in brown, Sub-Saharan Africa region in light green, South Asia in yellow, East Asia and Pacific in purple.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Prevalence of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter in both men and women.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Systematic screening pathway for atrial fibrillation and entry of consumer-led screening into the systematic screening pathway (suggested by the 8th Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET)/European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) consensus conference41). Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; d, days; DM, diabetes mellitus; ECG, electrocardiogram; HF, heart failure, HTN, hypertension; LEAD, lead lower extremity arterial disease; MI, myocardial infraction; PPG, photoplethysmography; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
PRISMA flow diagram for systematic reviews on effects of mobile health solutions designed to integrated atrial fibrillation management.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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