Obesity behind ‘staggering’ rise in deadly strokes

OBESITY has fuelled a 72 per cent rise in a deadly heart problem that can cause strokes, a study suggests.

Experts said the rise in cases of atrial fibrillation (AF) over the past two decades is “staggering” and warned that unhealthy lifestyles are taking their toll.

According to the University of Leeds study – funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and published in The Lancet – an estimated two million Britons have the condition, which causes a dangerously irregular heartbeat.

It is responsible for up to a third of all strokes and raises the risk of heart failure. It can also cause blood clots, which some experts think may appear in the brain and trigger dementia.

The research – which examined the GP and hospital data of 3.4 million people in England – shows more than 202,000 diagnoses in 2017 – a rise of 72 per cent from 117,880 in 1998.

Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the BHF, said: “The sheer rise in the number of people now living with AF is staggering, yet many more will be unaware that they also have this hidden stroke risk in their heart.”