Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to make a recommendation about screening for atrial fibrillation (AF). This statement applies to adults age 50 or older without a diagnosis or symptoms of AF and without a history of transient ischemic attack or stroke. Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke and is associated with a substantial increase in the risk of stroke. The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services and this recommendation replaces the 2018 USPSTF recommendation statement on screening for AF with electrocardiogram (ECG). In 2018, the USPSTF concluded that the evidence was insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of using ECG to screen for AF. For the current recommendation statement, the USPSTF expanded its review to include other screening tests in addition to ECG. The USPSTF again concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for AF in asymptomatic adults.
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(doi:10.1001/jama.2021.23732)
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Note: More information about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, its process, and its recommendations can be found on the newsroom page of its website.
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