Atrial Fibrillation: Epidemiology and Demographics

In the clinical setting, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly presented arrhythmia of clinical significance. It is estimated that it affects 46.1 million people globally. Up to a half-million hospitalizations annually in the USA have AF as their primary diagnosis, and AF is estimated to contribute to >100,000 deaths per year in the USA. AF has a significant impact on health-care costs, with the major cost drivers being hospitalizations, stroke, and loss of productivity.