500,000 People Call for Urgent Action to Prevent Atrial Fibrillation-Related Strokes

Berlin (ots/PRNewswire) -

Atrial fibrillation is an under-diagnosed, undertreated abnormal
heart

rhythm that increases stroke risk five-fold compared to the
general population

World Stroke Day 2013

By World Stroke Day 2013 (October 29) more than 500,000 people
have shown their support for the Sign Against Stroke in Atrial
Fibrillation campaign, calling for urgent coordinated action to avoid
the thousands of preventable strokes that leave many atrial
fibrillation (AF) patients disabled or dead every year. Despite
widespread fear of stroke and its devastating consequences, many
people are unaware of AF and its link to stroke, highlighting a
critical educational and medical challenge for policy makers and
healthcare providers.

Every year, 15 million people worldwide experience a stroke.
Approximately five million of these suffer permanent disabilities and
over five million more die, accounting for 10% of all deaths
worldwide[1]. Sign Against Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation supports the
world's only Global AF Patient Charter that calls for more education
to raise awareness of the signs of AF, driving earlier diagnosis, and
ensuring patients receive the appropriate care, so fewer families
suffer the devastation caused by an AF-related stroke.

Alarmingly, the first time many people will find out they have AF
is when they have a stroke, with these strokes being more severe,
causing greater disability and having a worse outcome than strokes in
people without[2]. People who have a stroke caused by AF are more
likely to remain in hospital for longer, are less likely to be
discharged to their home and are 50% more likely to remain disabled,
relying on long-term care from their families or nursing homes[2].

Healthcare costs associated with stroke are higher for patients
with AF than for patients without AF, leading to a significant
clinical and economic burden on individuals and society, especially
in an ever ageing population[3]. Preventing AF in patients at risk,
diagnosing AF before the first stroke occurs and following
recommendations regarding the use of anticoagulation, including
consideration of new treatment options[4],[5], are critical for
effective prevention of up to 70%[6],[7],[8] of AF-related strokes.

"We urge people to visit http://www.signagainststroke.com and sign
in support of the Global AF Patient Charter. We are calling upon
healthcare decision makers to ensure AF is recognised as a serious
risk factor for stroke, and that concrete actions are defined in
national plans that support earlier diagnosis and improved awareness,
education and prevention," said Mellanie True Hills, Founder and CEO
of StopAfib.org. "It is our hope that national governments will
address this as they plan for how to meet the United Nations'
commitment to reduce non-communicable diseases by 25% by the year
2025."

Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke - The Link

70 million people worldwide are affected by AF[4],[9]. The
irregular heartbeat of AF causes blood to pool and can result in the
development of blood clots, which may travel to the brain, triggering
a major and often fatal stroke. AF is age related, with those over 40
having a one in four chance of developing it[10]. AF has no
geographic, gender or socio-economic boundaries and increases stroke
risk by 500%[4], accounting for 15-20% of all ischaemic strokes
(strokes caused by blood clots)[11]. In addition, AF-related strokes
are more severe than other strokes, with a 50% likelihood of death
within one year[2].

The impact of AF-related stroke is predicted to rise dramatically
as the number of individuals affected by AF is expected to increase
2.5 fold by 2050[12], due to an ageing population and improved
survival of patients with conditions which predispose AF (e.g., heart
attack).

Because More Than 500,000 Care about Preventing AF-Related Stroke

The theme of this year's World Stroke Day is "Because I care". By
supporting the Global AF Patient Charter, over 500,000 people and 101
patient organisations, medical and other non-governmental
organisations including the World Stroke Organisation, have
demonstrated they care and that action is needed to prevent thousands
of AF-related strokes each year.

About the Global AF Patient Charter and Sign Against Stroke
Campaign

In a global call to action, 101 patient organisations, medical and
other non-governmental organisations from around the world have
endorsed the Charter, asking the public, healthcare professionals and
policy makers to drive change in AF diagnosis and care, preventing
AF-related strokes. The goal of Sign Against Stroke is to gather 1.7
million signatures in support of the Charter - one for each of the
estimated number of grandparents, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles
killed or disabled by AF strokes every year - and provide those
signatures to healthcare decision makers in countries across the
world. Demonstrating strong support behind the Charter
recommendations will help put AF and AF-related stroke prevention at
the forefront of national health agendas.

The Global AF Patient Charter was developed by a Steering
Committee comprised of representatives from Patient Organisations,
including AntiCoagulation Europe, Arrhythmia Alliance, Atrial
Fibrillation Association, Irish Heart Foundation, StopAfib.org and
Stroke Alliance for Europe, in collaboration with 39 founding Patient
Organisations from 20 countries. A full list of collaborating
organisations is available on the website,
http://www.signagainststroke.com.

People can learn about AF and stroke and read and sign the
Charter, which is available in 22 languages on the Campaign website,
http://www.signagainststroke.com. All signatures contribute to
driving action to prevent AF-related strokes and improving future
outcomes and quality of life of people diagnosed with AF.

Bayer HealthCare has proudly supported the Global AF Patient
Charter and Sign Against Stroke Campaign since its creation in 2011
and remains committed to working together with all key stakeholders
involved to help improve AF patient outcomes.

References

1. The Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke. World Health
Organisation.

http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/cvd_atlas_15_burden_
stroke.pdf Last accessed 28 October 2013.

2. Lin HJ et al. Stroke severity in atrial fibrillation.The
Framingham Study. Stroke 1996;27(10):1760-4.

3. Winter Y et al. Evaluation of costs and outcome in
cardioembolic stroke or TIA. J Neurol 2009;256:954-63.

4. Fuster V et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused updates incorporated
into the ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 guidelines for the management of patients
with atrial fibrillation: a report of the American College of
Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on
practice guidelines. Circulation 2011;123(10):e269-367.

5. Camm AJ et al. 2012 focused update of the ESC Guidelines for
the management of atrial fibrillation. Eur Heart J 2012;33:2719-47.

6. Patel MR et al. Rivaroxaban versus Warfarin in Nonvalvular
Atrial Fibrillation. N Engl J Med 2011;365:883-91.

7. Connolly SJ et al. Dabigatran versus Warfarin in Patients with
Atrial Fibrillation. N Engl J Med 2009;361:1139-51.

8. Granger CB et al. Apixaban versus Warfarin in Patients with
Atrial Fibrillation. N Engl J Med 2011;365:981-92.

9. Miyasaka Y et al. Secular Trends in Incidence of Atrial
Fibrillation in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1980 to 2000, and
Implications on the Projections for Future Prevalence. Circulation.
2006;114:119-25.

10. Lloyd-Jones DM et al. Lifetime risk for development of atrial
fibrillation: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation
2004;110:1042-6.

11. Marini C et al. Contribution of atrial fibrillation to
incidence and outcome of ischemic stroke: results from a
population-based study. Stroke. 2005;36:1115-19.

12. Go AS et al. Prevalence of diagnosed atrial fibrillation in
adults: national implications for rhythm management and stroke
prevention: the AnTicoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial
Fibrillation (ATRIA) Study. JAMA. 2001;285:2370-5.

ots Originaltext: Bayer HealthCare
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For more information contact Martha Gillespie at Chandler Chicco
Agency on +44(0)20-7632-2874 or mgillespie@cca-uk.com