Spotlight on Special Populations: Diagnosing AFib with Precision-3. Spotlight Diagnosing AFib Women & Older Adults

3. Spotlight Diagnosing AFib Women & Older Adults

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Christy Coleman discusses sex and age-related disparities in diagnosing atrial fibrillation (AFib). Despite lower AFib prevalence in women, their higher life expectancy results in more diagnoses with severe symptoms like tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. Older adults face higher AFib risks, linked to cardiovascular diseases. Studies show women's AFib is underdiagnosed, and sex-specific disparities exist in diagnosis and treatment. Opportunistic AFib screening identifies more cases but does not impact anticoagulation use or outcomes, highlighting the need for further research on its effectiveness in preventing strokes and other complications.

Keywords

atrial fibrillation

sex disparities

age-related disparities

diagnosis

opportunistic screening