Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Head To Head

Should we screen for atrial fibrillation?

BMJ 2019; 364 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l43 (Published 13 February 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;364:l43

Rapid Response:

Re: Should we screen for atrial fibrillation?

AF may be more common than has been realized, and the "looming epidemic" an artifact of heart rate monitors being normal equipment in gyms.
I have had an irregular heart rate since my 20s . At that time I was running in 24 hour races.

At 80 yo excursions from say 90 to 180 BPM when on exercise machines were common for me until recently.

I now take about 10 gm of Taurine and 10 gm of Arginine daily and the irregularities have ceased.

There are references on the net to similar results, and supplementation may be effective for many other people who are in good health.

This procedure may reassure many people and preclude the use of drugs with unwanted side effects.

It may potentially be diagnostic, as the people who do not respond may have more serious problems requiring more aggressive treatment.

Competing interests: No competing interests

18 February 2019
Ronald Horgan
Retired research chemist
Melbourne