University of Birmingham expert features in new mental health campaign

The University of Birmingham has been awarded £1.9 million through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research (GHR) Programme to fund world class research into a common heart condition in disadvantaged populations in China, Brazil and Sri Lanka. The University's NIHR Global Health Research Group on Atrial Fibrillation will focus on ways of preventing and treating atrial fibrillation (AF) - the most global common cause of an irregular heartbeat which five times increases the risk of stroke. Over a quarter of strokes are due to AF, and adults have a one in four life-time risk of developing the condition, the main causes of which are high blood pressure and diabetes. Professor Neil Thomas, who is jointly leading the research at the University of Birmingham's Institute of Applied Health Research , said: "A third of people with atrial fibrillation, and even more in low and middle-income countries such as China, Brazil and Sri Lanka, do not know they have the condition. "To reduce the risk of stroke by around two thirds, patients with atrial fibrillation are given anticoagulant drugs to prevent blood clotting, such as warfarin, however under-treatment is common in these countries, leading to missed opportunities in preventing fatal and disabling strokes. Professor Gregory Lip, a world leading expert in atrial fibrillation, who is co-leading the research , said: "Our established group at the University of Birmingham has already successfully led changes in atrial fibrillation management in the UK, and in European countries with different healthcare systems, by promoting stroke risk assessment and enabling clinicians to initiate treatment in an integrated manner.