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A-Fib May Pose Bigger Threat to Women

Review found atrial fibrillation linked to higher risk of stroke, cardiac events, death in women

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Atrial fibrillation is a stronger risk factor for stroke, cardiac events, heart failure, and death in women than it is in men, according to an analysis published online Jan. 19 in The BMJ.

The researchers identified 30 studies with 4,371,714 participants. They found that atrial fibrillation was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in women (ratio of relative risks, 1.12).

The team also found a significantly stronger risk of stroke (1.99), cardiovascular mortality (1.93), cardiac events (1.55), and heart failure (1.16) for women compared with men.

“This study adds to a growing body of literature showing that women may experience cardiovascular diseases and risk factors differently than men,” review author Connor Emdin, a doctoral student in cardiovascular epidemiology at the University of Oxford’s George Institute for Global Health in the United Kingdom, told HealthDay.

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