Here’s another Monday edition of the current medical and health news. Today’s topics include six risk factors for heart health in women and how heart health is linked to cognitive health.
Six Risk Factors of Atrial Fibrillation in Women
Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmia or irregularity in a heartbeat where a person’s heart will beat very fast and irregularly.(3) The six risk factors are: age, weight, height, systolic blood pressure, two or more alcoholic drinks per day, and smoking history. The authors noted that adding genetic markers did not significantly improve prediction scores. What this means. Very easily attainable information from a doctor’s visit or to a health professional can help you determine if you need to modify any risk factors. Other good news, weight, blood pressure, alcoholic drinks and smoking history are MODIFIABLE risk factors.
Atrial Fibrillation’s Link to Mental Health
Researchers found that atrial fibrillation was linked to cognitive impairment as well as dementia. History of a stroke increases this risk more than twice. Looking back at the first article there are modifiable risk factors that you can work on to reduce your risk. Exercise is a great way to modify the mentioned risk factors.
Consult with your physician, doctor or qualified health care professional to determine the appropriate process of modification of risk factors. For more information on atrial fibrillation please visit here.
1) Kaiser, C. (2013). Six Factors Best Predict Afib Risk in Women. MedPage Today. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/37578
2) Kasier, C. (2013). Afib Linked to Cognitive Decline. MedPage Today. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Dementia/37660
3) “What is atrial fibrillation?”. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Accessed on 3/25/2013. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/af/.
Photo Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
