A new study has found that millions of Americans in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), which is a major risk factor for stroke.

The findings, which appear in The American Heart Journal, highlight that nearly one in five study participants with early stages of CKD had evidence of AF, a rate similar to that reported among patients with end-stage CKD. In addition, these early-stage CKD patients were two to three times more likely to suffer from AF than the general population.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in the general population, and is one of the strongest risk factors for stroke. While AF prevalence in the general population ranges from 1 to 8 percent, the estimated prevalence of AF among patients with end-stage renal disease has been reported to be between 13 and 23 percent.

"More than 25 million U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease and most of them are not on dialysis," said the study’s lead author, Elsayed Soliman, M.D. "Understanding the prevalence and risk factors of AF in this group of patients has important public health, epidemiologic and clinical implications."

During AF, the heart’s two small upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively, resulting in the blood not being completely pumped out and creating pooling and clotting, which can cause a stroke.

Ways to reduce the risk of AF include lowering blood pressure, eating heart-healthy foods and increasing physical activity.

10 to 20 million Americans suffer from
serious kidney problems—are you one of them?

According to a report printed in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 10 to 20 million Americans suffer from serious kidney problems which can trigger high blood pressure, brain problems, blood sugar problems, abnormal cell growth and other serious health problems.

At least 17 million Americans—mostly women—suffer from urinary incontinence…

Another 4 million Americans suffer from liver infections, more than 300,000 folks get hooked up to dialysis machines…

500,000 Americans have diseased gallbladders removed every year and millions more suffer from other serious liver or liver-related problems that attack the colon, kidneys, lungs and skin…

When your liver can’t cleanse your blood, all the toxins you ingest and absorb are passed unchecked into your bloodstream where they can poison your lungs... skin... kidneys... reproductive organs... bones... and every cell in your body…

But now there’s a simple way to safely help eliminate deadly toxins from your liver… boost liver function... and keep your liver young and strong for decades to come!

How? Click Here to find out!