How common is atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the commonest abnormal heart rhythm. Over the age of 65 it's more common, but after the age of 40, 1 in 4 people will develop atrial fibrillation at some stage in their life. The problem with atrial fibrillation is it can cause symptoms but it can also be incidental and not cause any symptoms and you don't know that you have it. Either way your risk of having a stroke or the damage it can do to your heart is the same so it's very important to capture this.