John Baron MP this week has lent his support to the campaign to help raise awareness about Atrial Fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disorder in the UK. The campaign, spearheaded by the charity, the Atrial Fibrillation Association (AFA), aims to raise awareness of this debilitating condition and reach out to the public, parliamentarians and clinical experts. At a meeting in Westminster, John Baron was briefed by the AFA about Atrial Fibrillation and had his picture taken with a ‘giant calculator’ (see attached) which estimates that 773 people here in the Basildon and Billericay constituency’s electorate suffer from AF.
John said:
“An estimated 773 people in Basildon and Billericay have atrial fibrillation, and many more could have it but as yet have not been diagnosed. It is important that this condition is understood by medical professionals and patients so that they can be identified at an early stage and treated accordingly.”[1]
Trudie Lobban MBE, CEO and founder of the AFA said:
“We are delighted that John Baron MP is supporting our campaign to raise awareness of Atrial Fibrillation, both in Westminster and in the wider context. This is a little-known condition, yet estimates suggest that AF exerts a considerable economic toll on the NHS. For example, patients with primary or secondary diagnosis of AF accounted for an estimated 5.7 million bed days in 2008, at a cost to the NHS of £1.8 billion.”
[1] AF estimation calculated using data on prevalence in each PCT or Local Health Trust, against size of electorate in corresponding parliamentary constituency.
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