Together we can make a difference. Please sign the Charter.
AntiCoagulation Europe, Atrial Fibrillation Association, Irish Heart Foundation, StopAfib.org, Stroke Alliance for Europe
Sign the Charter now
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common irregular heart rhythm.1
(also known as arrhythmia)
Pulse checks are a quick, simple and extremely low-cost way to detect if someone may have AF.
Trudie Lobban MBE, Atrial Fibrillation Association.
1Kannel WB, Benjamin EJ. Status of the epidemology of atrial fibrillation. Med Clin North Am 2008;92:17-40
Atrial Fibrillation is often not detected until a serious complication such as a stroke or heart failure develops.2
Early detection could save millions of lives.
Mellanie True Hills, StopAfib.org
2Kirchhof P, et al, How Can We Avoid a Stroke Crisis? Working Group Report: Stroke Prevention in Patients with Atrial Fibrilation. December 2009
The risk of stroke is increased almost 500% in people with atrial fibrillation.3
Many AF-related strokes could be prevented.
Chris Macey, Irish Heart Foundation
3Wolf PA, Abbott RD, Kannel WB. Atrial fibrillation as an independent risk factor for stroke: the Framingham Study. Stroke 1991;22:983–8
http://www.preventaf-strokecrisis.org Accessed February 2012
Over 17 million people in Europe, China and the United States alone are living with atrial fibrillation.4
Improved diagnosis and treatment of people who live with AF can prevent AF-related strokes and offer better outcomes if strokes occurs.
Eve Knight, AntiCoagulation Europe
4(6 million in EU ref - Kannel WB, Benjamin EJ. Status of the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation. Med Clin North Am 2008;92:17–40)
(8 million in China ref - Goto S, et al, How Can We Avoid a Stroke Crisis in the Asia-Pacifc Region? Working Group Report: Stroke Prevention in Patients
with Atrial Fibrillation. May 2011)
One in six people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime.5
Stroke prevention should be a greater priority for governments.
James Beeby, Stroke Alliance for Europe
5http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/2011/Pages/Home.aspx (Accessed February 2012)
This website was last updated on May 14, 2013 4:58:40 PM.
This website has been commissioned by Bayer Healthcare. The content of the site has been developed independently by the authors of the Global AF patient Charter, the activities of which have been coordinated by a secretariat funded by Bayer Healthcare. Bayer Healthcare has reviewed the site content for accuracy and Code compliance.
