By Alice Koehler
Imagine walking just 10 yards from your front door to the mailbox and becoming so winded, you feel like you might faint. Or imagine your heart beating so chaotically that its chambers don’t empty blood properly, creating clots that could lead to a stroke, yet you have zero symptoms and no idea you’re at risk.
These are among the many hallmarks of atrial fibrillation, or AFib, a serious, underdiagnosed and undertreated rapid, irregular heartbeat condition affecting 10.5 million Americans and on the rise. Aging, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity all increase risk. As our population ages and these risk factors become more common, so does the prospect of AFib.
This trend is alarming for public health. People with AFib are up to five times more likely to have a stroke. Without proper treatment, an estimated one-third of people with AFib will suffer a stroke. The condition also doubles the risk of mortality.
A recent study led by Jean Jacques Noubiap, MD, PhD and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco specializing in global cardiovascular health, found that AFib is three times more common than previously believed. He underscored its broad impact, saying “Atrial fibrillation doubles the risk of mortality, is one of the most common causes of stroke, increases risks of heart failure, myocardial infarction, chronic kidney disease and dementia, and results in lower quality of life.” Dr. Noubiap also offered encouraging news: “Fortunately, atrial fibrillation is preventable, and early detection and appropriate treatment can substantially reduce its adverse outcomes.”
This is where medtech and digital health tech play a transformative role. For example, in a medical device first, the company I lead, OMRON Healthcare, developed blood pressure monitors featuring IntelliSense™ AFib detection. This technology automatically screens for AFib during every blood pressure measurement and can identify early indicators of elevated stroke, heart failure, and dementia risk.
A key study found our monitors and algorithms detected AFib-specific heart rhythm disturbances with remarkable accuracy. The FDA granted the technology a de novo regulatory classification for first-of-its-kind innovations, and it received a prestigious “best in class” digital health award.
Our blood pressure monitors with AFib detection are designed for home use, an increasingly common practice as digital health tools enable convenience paired with high accuracy. Clinicians urge early blood pressure monitoring and intervention, especially for adults over 40 and for pregnant individuals.
As with hypertension, doctors emphasize early detection of AFib as critical to effective treatment. “If we intervene sooner in patients with AFib, their outcomes improve significantly,” Dr. Paari Dominic, MBBS, MPH, a cardiac electrophysiologist and associate professor of internal and cardiovascular medicine at University of Iowa Health Care, told the AMA. Identifying at-risk patients earlier means they can be monitored outside of a clinical setting, and doctors can intervene promptly, according to Dr. Dominic. Tools like the Apple Watch, FitBit, and KardiaMobile are all convenient personal devices to send AFib alerts, even if people are asymptomatic.
Growing awareness of AFib through convenient, personal digital health technology is another encouraging development. Equipped with accessible information, users can seek care earlier when something looks worrisome.
As the digital health revolution progresses, companies like OMRON will remain at the forefront of solutions that provide personalized data for early detection, convenient monitoring, and better health outcomes. You can read more about our work here.
Alice Koehler is managing director of OMRON Healthcare.