{"id":584536,"date":"2026-04-04T07:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/584536\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T07:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:32:12","slug":"strokes-may-be-avoided-by-targeting-silent-condition-the-irrigator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/584536\/","title":{"rendered":"Strokes may be avoided by targeting ‘silent’ condition | The Irrigator"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RoughlyRoughly a third of all strokes in Australia are linked to atrial fibrillation. Photo: Alan Porritt\/AAP PHOTOS<\/p>\n

Maryanne Bawden thought she had the flu when her husband insisted she go to the hospital.<\/p>\n

But when her scans came back, doctors said she was lucky she wasn’t paralysed.<\/p>\n

Ms Bawden quickly learnt she was part of a growing number of older Australians living with a heart rhythm disorder, and that she had just had a stroke.<\/p>\n

\"MaryanneMaryanne Bawden felt unwell but didn’t realise how serious her condition was. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia, which affects about one in 10 Australians over the age of 70 and increases stroke risk by up to five times.<\/p>\n

Roughly a third of all strokes in Australia are linked to the condition.<\/p>\n

“When I had my stroke, it was literally out of the blue, I didn’t even think I was having a stroke,” Mr Bawden told AAP.<\/p>\n

“But had I not had the medical treatment when I did, the results would have been fairly catastrophic.<\/p>\n

“That was a reality check and motivated me to make sure I did everything possible to prevent another stroke.”<\/p>\n

Scientists at the Heart Research Institute and the University of Sydney are hoping their study can help people detect the heart condition before they experiencing a life-altering stroke.<\/p>\n

Across the country, more than 600 Australians over the age of 70 have taken part in a trial that could lay the groundwork for a national screening program, similar to the ones run for bowel and breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Preliminary findings from the study have already detected previously undiagnosed cases of the condition, which may have gone undetected until the subjects experienced a stroke.<\/p>\n

“Atrial fibrillation is often silent as many people feel perfectly well and have no idea they have it,” chief investigator Professor Ben Freedman OAM said.<\/p>\n

“If we can find it earlier, we have a real opportunity to prevent those strokes from happening in the first place.<\/p>\n

“The impact on individuals, families and the health system would be enormous.”<\/p>\n

\"ManyMany people have no idea they have atrial fibrillation, says Professor Ben Freedman. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Ms Bawden now manages her diagnosis with a blood pressure monitor, which helps her regulate her energy levels, medication and proper supervision from a cardiologist.<\/p>\n

Though initially shaken by the news, knowing exactly what condition she has and how to live with it has given her a sense of control.<\/p>\n

“Prevention in all cases is better than trying to have a good outcome,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Now, I’m looking at life and valuing every day – as you do once you’ve had a bit of a shock.”<\/p>\n

Australian Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roughly a third of all strokes in Australia are linked to atrial fibrillation. Photo: Alan Porritt\/AAP PHOTOS Maryanne…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":584537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-584536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}