April 12, 2018
Age difference in Maori stroke risk
A University of Auckland study has found testing Maori and Pacific people for an irregular heartbeat earlier could spare hundreds of people from stroke each year.
The study found Maori and Pacific people develop the heart condition known as Atrial Fibrillation or AF on average about age 60 or 61, a decade earlier than other New Zealanders.
They are also more than twice as likely as to have a high risk of stroke, according to findings published in the Internal Medical Journal.
Study co-author Dr Matire Harwood from the university’s Te Kupenga Hauora Maori unit says based on these findings, testing in Maori or Pacific people for AF could start sooner than the current guideline of 65.
Those with an earlier AF diagnosis could start on blood-thinning medication that will dramatically reduce their stroke risk.
The study conducted in partnership with the Heart Research Institute in Sydney found similar results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.
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