DALLAS, Sept. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — September is Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, and as the most prominent atrial fibrillation patient organization, StopAfib.org has added some prestigious healthcare professionals to its Global Medical Advisory Board.
Atrial fibrillation, also known as afib, is the most common irregular heartbeat and can lead to dementia, heart failure, stroke, or even death. Many do not realize that they have it, and many who have it don't realize how serious it is. Of those who have afib, one in three will have a stroke within their lifetime.
September 2013 is the seventh annual Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. Raising afib awareness is intensely personal for StopAfib.org founder, Mellanie True Hills, who is an afib survivor, and led her to create the first Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month (http://www.stopafib.org/newsitem.cfm/NEWSID/424). Working with other organizations, Hills helped urge the U.S. Senate to officially designate September as National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month.
The StopAfib.org Global Medical Advisory Board is made up of some of the world's foremost electrophysiologists, surgeons, cardiologists, neurologists, epidemiologists, and researchers who are on the forefront of atrial fibrillation research and treatment. The Global Medical Advisory Board acts as a sounding board to help StopAfib.org appropriately address afib-related issues including diagnosis, treatment, and doctor-patient interactions.
Since Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month last year, the following board members have been added:
Maribel Hernandez, MD, Electrophysiologist
Lankenau Medical Center; Co-Director, Women's Heart Program, Main Line Health; Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Elaine Hylek, MD
Director, Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Service, Boston University Medical Center; Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
David N. Kenigsberg, MD, Electrophysiologist
Medical Director, Electrophysiology Services, Westside Regional Medical Center, Plantation, Florida; Voluntary Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Robert Kowal, MD, PhD, Electrophysiologist
HeartPlace and Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital, Dallas, Texas
Francis E. Marchlinski, MD, Electrophysiologist
Director, Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of Pennsylvania Hospital System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ayrton R. Massaro, MD, Neurologist
Past-President, Ibero-American Stroke Society; Co-chair, World Stroke Congress; Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sanjiv Narayan, MD, Electrophysiologist
Professor of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
Kui-Hian Sim, MD, Cardiologist
Visiting Senior Consultant Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology, and Visiting Senior Researcher, Clinical Research Centre Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre, Sarawak, Malaysia; President, Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology; Immediate Past President, National Heart Association of Malaysia;
Governor, Malaysia Chapter of American College of Cardiology
Randall K. Wolf, MD, Surgeon
Co-Director, International Atrial Fibrillation Center of Excellence, Community Heart and Vascular Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana; Director, Wolf Atrial Fibrillation Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
About Atrial Fibrillation
As the most common irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, also known as afib, affects more than 5 million Americans. One-third of those who have the condition may not have symptoms. By 2030, as many as 17 million Americans may have it. About 350,000 hospitalizations a year in the U.S. are attributed to afib. In addition, people over the age of 40 have a one in four chance of developing afib in their lifetime. Having afib increases your stroke risk by 500 percent and can lead to heart failure and dementia.
About StopAfib.org
The mission of StopAfib.org is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families, support the doctor-patient relationship, and wipe out afib-related strokes worldwide. It provides information about atrial fibrillation symptoms, causes, risks, treatments, resources, and the latest afib news and videos.
Now the No. 1 Arrhythmia site on the Internet and in the Top 5 Heart Disease sites, StopAfib.org has received the HON Code Certification from the Health on the Net Foundation, signifying a credible, trustworthy medical web site.
StopAfib.org CEO and founder, Mellanie True Hills, is also the author of A Woman's Guide to Saving Her Own Life and has been featured in the NY Times, Washington Post, USA Weekend, AOL.com, and in Heart-Healthy Living, More, and Success magazines.
For more information, visit www.StopAfib.org