People with a common heart rhythm disorder have a tripled risk of heart failure, even if they aren’t showing any symptoms, a new study says.
Patients whose silent atrial fibrillation (“silent AFib”) was caught during a health screening had nearly 3.2 times higher odds of suffering from heart failure, researchers reported at a meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association.
This knowledge can help doctors find and treat heart failure (HF) among people with atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart quiver during a heartbeat.
“HF and AF have a bidirectional relationship and accelerate each other’s progression, so it is important to identify and treat HF early in patients with AF,” lead researcher Dr. Gina Sado, a cardiologist and doctoral student at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, said in a news release.
Stroke is the most serious concern among people with atrial fibrillation. Blood can pool and clot in the quivering upper chambers – the atria – and if such a clot moves out of the heart and reaches the brain, it can cause a stroke.
But atrial fibrillation also is associated with heart failure, a condition in which the heart can’t pump blood well enough to meet the needs of the body, researchers noted.
“HF has been well studied in patients with clinically known AF, but little is known about the incidence and timing of HF in individuals whose AF has been detected during screening,” Sado said.
For the new study, researchers randomly assigned a group of 75- and 76-year-old patients to receive an ECG heart scan that can detect presence of atrial fibrillation. Others didn’t receive the scan and were used as a control group.
The study took place in two waves:
During follow-up of five to seven years, 23 percent of atrial fibrillation patients in the first group and 20 percent in the second group were later diagnosed with heart failure.
Overall, people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation were 2.9 to 3.2 times more likely to develop heart failure compared to those without the heart rhythm disorder, researchers concluded.
Notably, heart failure was diagnosed early in these patients, within six months of their atrial fibrillation being detected, researchers noted.
“In individuals with screening-detected AF, the risk of developing HF was threefold that of participants without AF and comparable to that of patients with clinically known AF,” Sado said.
“These findings suggest that asymptomatic AF is not a benign condition and highlight the need for early detection of both AF and HF.”
Researchers presented these findings Monday at the European Heart Rhythm Association meeting, which took place in Paris.
Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
AFib can occur without any noticeable symptoms, but it carries serious health risks. Even without symptoms, AFib can increase the risk of heart failure, heart attack, blood clots, and stroke.
Although Black Americans are diagnosed with AFib at lower rates than white individuals, research shows they often experience more severe complications, including blood clots, dementia, stroke, and heart failure.
RELATED: How AI May Detect Atrial Fibrillation in Just 10 Seconds
Black patients with silent AFib can also face healthcare disparities that can delay diagnosis and treatment. Lower screening rates in primary care settings, insurance barriers, reduced access to cardiologists, and medical mistrust can all contribute to poorer outcomes. In some cases, AFib is not discovered until a major event, such as a stroke or hospitalization, occurs.
If you’re an older adult, talk with your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms:
These symptoms may be warning signs of AFib or other serious heart conditions.
The study found that silent AFib nearly tripled the risk of heart failure in older adults. Because AFib can develop without obvious symptoms, regular checkups and heart screenings may help detect problems earlier and reduce the risk of severe complications.
More information
The American Heart Association has more on atrial fibrillation.
SOURCE: European Heart Rhythm Association, news release, April 13, 2026
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
