American Heart Association launches AFib awareness campaign.
Laura Bolbat | Nov 9, 2015

American Heart Association launches AFib awareness campaign

The American Heart Association (AHA) has formed an AFib awareness campaign involving patients sharing their personal stories about living with atrial fibrillation in order to raise awareness.

The campaign started as a small pilot program in eight Northeastern states, but it has now expanded into U.S. cities where Afib rates are higher, such as New Your, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles. An estimated 2.7 million to 6.1 million people in the U.S. are living with AFib, the AHA said. 

“Because of the fivefold increased risk for stroke associated with AFib, it is vitally important that AFib patients seek medical care to manage their AFib and reduce their risk for stroke and other complications," an AHA representative told Patient Daily. "Unfortunately, there are many people with AFib that are unaware of their condition. So, we wanted to raise awareness of AFib so that more people know the signs and symptoms and understand the need to seek appropriate medical care.”

There are multiple ways the AHA is finding patients to speak out, including members of My AFib Experience, their online support network and AHA staff in different markets.

“We just launched the campaign from a national level in September, but we have already seen a lot of conversations and responses on social media about AFib," the representative said. "We think the videos -- and the conversation they’re generating -- are causing people to really consider AFib as a serious health-risk and helping them become more familiar with the signs and symptoms, as they hear directly from real people who have been impacted by this condition."

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