European Society of Cardiology
Atrial fibrillation can be seen during annual foot exams in people with diabetes. This is evident from research presented today at EHRA 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) .1
“In our study, one in six patients with diabetes had previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation,” said study author Dr. Ilias Kanellos from the European University of Cyprus, Nicosia. “This provides an opportunity to offer treatment to prevent subsequent strokes.”
Diabetes is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation.2 The prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias is at least twice as high in patients with diabetes as in those without diabetes. Although people with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to have a stroke, anticoagulant drugs are an effective preventive therapy.
Annual foot exams are recommended for patients with diabetes. This is because elevated blood sugar causes poor circulation, nerve damage, and numbness and can ultimately lead to a foot amputation if problems go undetected.
Dr. Kanellos said, “The annual checkup involves palpating the arteries in your feet to see if you have healthy blood flow. During this examination, we noticed that some patients had an irregular rhythm and decided to investigate its usefulness in diagnosing atrial fibrillation. “
Two podiatrists and six podiatrists were trained to identify rhythm abnormalities during the palpation of the foot arteries. They were also shown how to confirm their results using a portable Doppler ultrasound machine.
The 12-month observational study included 300 patients with diabetes who attended their annual foot screening appointments. Patients with rhythm abnormalities during the pulse scanning of their foot arteries were subjected to Doppler ultrasound to verify the observations.
The average age of the participants was 60 years. There were 180 men and 120 women. The researchers found that 51 patients (17%) had previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation. The arrhythmia was found in a similar proportion of men and women. Patients were advised to see a cardiologist for an electrocardiogram (EKG) to improve the diagnosis and to discuss treatment.
Dr. Kanellos said, “The study found a simple, quick and inexpensive way to identify patients with diabetes who have an arrhythmia that they did not know about. This intervention has the potential to prevent strokes and maintain the quality of life for this group of patients. “
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