Seek and ye shall find… subclinical atrial fibrillation in high-risk elderly patients.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a rapidly growing public health and economic burden. The global number of individuals with clinically diagnosed AF was estimated to be 33 million in 2010 and is expected to double by 2050 due to demographic changes and the rising prevalence of risk factors for AF, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. AF is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality (mostly secondary to an increased risk of stroke), reduced quality of life, and considerable costs. Yet, these figures are likely to underestimate the true prevalence of AF, as prolonged ECG monitoring detects clinically silent subclinical AF (SCAF) in a variable proportion of subjects presenting in sinus rhythm, depending on the type and duration of monitoring, the characteristics of the study population (in particular, age and medical history), and the definition of AF