One-Fifth Of 50,000 Malaysians Suffering Stroke Annually Due To Atrial Fibrillation

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (Bernama) -- One-fifth of the 50,000 Malaysians suffered stroke each year due to Atrial Fibrillation (AF), an irregular heartbeat disorder. Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical), Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai said AF was significantly associated with age, hypertension and heart failure, and AF-related strokes were more severe and debilitating. Thus, Malaysians who had a high risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertention, heart problem, and obesity should do a regular check-up, since early diagnosis could prevent them from getting AF related to stroke, he told reporters at the launching of a book titled "Strike Out Stroke in Malaysia", here Friday. He said stroke, which was the third biggest cause of death after heart disease and cancer, would increase 10 percent every 10 years in Malaysia, therefore there was an urgent need to prevent it from becoming a major public health crisis. -- BERNAMA