This very important story may change how afib patients and their doctors decide if they should be on anticoagulant medications (blood thinners), such as Coumadin or warfarin. The CHADS2 scoring system is how doctors now decide who should be on Coumadin or warfarin to avoid strokes, but a newly-published study adds new stroke risk factors …
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New Study Finds NT-proBNP Levels Predict New Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Up To Sixteen Years in Advance
A new study reports that blood levels of a protein hormone called N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) predicts new atrial fibrillation, regardless of other afib risk factors. Those with the highest levels were four times as likely to develop afib as those with the lowest levels. In the study, elevated levels of NT-proBNP occurred as …
Read MoreWe know that more men than women have atrial fibrillation, but that women have a higher rate of strokes and death. In fact, women account for about 61% of stroke deaths. Recent research at Rush University Medical Center identified nine specific gender differences between women and men who have atrial fibrillation. Those included that women …
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