World Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Day – High Time To Spread The Word

Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy MD, FACC, FHRS, Andrea Natale MD, FACC, FECS, FHRS


Corresponding Address :

Dear Readers

Welcome back to the September issue of JAFIB. We are sure you are back to the grind from your summer vacations. September is the Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month. Heart Rhythm Society has officially launched a bigger campaign in promoting awareness of the disease across the world. The Global Atrial Fibrillation Alliance Foundation (www.global-af-alliance.org ) continues its work on this patient-physician-industry partnership in multiple cities across the world. The second Saturday of every September has been commemorated as the World AF Awareness Day. This year it was commemorated on the 13th of September. Several cities have a wide range of activities including AF walk, run, yoga and town hall meetings on this day to spread the word on prevention and early recognition and treatment. We will have a full report of this exciting global event in our next issue. Notably the Governors of the states of Kansas and Arkansas have issued proclamations recognizing the efforts of Global AF Alliance for its unfettered awareness campaign and officially pronouncing every second Saturday of September as the World AF Awareness Day here forth. There were 5K and 10K Runs and Walks with awareness material distributed.

Another exciting event we just wrapped up was Kansas City Heart Rhythm Symposium (KCHRS). The 6th annual edition of KCHRS took place on August 16th and 17th in Kansas City. This symposium serves the educational needs of health care professionals in the greater Midwest very effectively time and time again. Prof. Michel Haissaguerre from Bordeaux, France was honored with the KU Pioneers in Cardiovascular Electrophysiology Award in recognition for his seminal contributions to the field. Over a one and half day symposium a broad variety of cardiac arrhythmia related issues were discussed and debated. The Annual Manohar Gowda Young Cardiovascular Investigator Awards were also given out. Many enthusiastic participants from all over the country participated with the top three winners presenting their work at the meeting.

With ever increasing incidence of AF across the world and continued rise of AF related strokes, are we doing enough to prevent and effectively treat this arrhythmia. Has the world invested enough into taking on this global epidemic at a grass root level? It is probably apt to compare the AF epidemic to coronary artery disease a couple of decades ago. Awareness and early access to care are important components that aid a successful campaign against AF. The onus is on all of us to join hands together in fighting this disease at all levels. Please support the efforts of JAFIB and Global AF Alliance in the AF awareness campaign by organizing AF educational events at your institutions and cities.

Best wishes




Dhanunjaya (DJ)Lakkireddy MD, FACC, FHRS Associate Editor JAFIB



Andrea Natale MD, FACC, FHRS, FESC Editor-in-Chief JAFIB