Preventing strokes before they strike

One of the most common heart conditions as people get older is an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation (Afib). It can have serious impacts on brain health, increasing the risk of stroke and vascular dementia, especially in postmenopausal women.

Like a data detective, Dr. Jodi Edwards is sleuthing out ways to prevent stroke and vascular dementia by targeting conditions that lead to Afib.

“One of the challenges with atrial fibrillation is it’s hard to detect. In some people, it comes and goes,” says Dr. Edwards, a cardiovascular epidemiologist and director of the Brain and Heart Nexus Research Program at the Ottawa Heart Institute. That means people with undiagnosed Afib don’t get treatments they need to manage their condition and prevent a stroke.

Her solution? Mine health data (including results of electrocardiograms and blood tests) to identify early-stage changes in the heart linked to Afib, which may also increase risk of stroke and dementia. “If we can identify these biomarkers and do risk prediction modeling, it can help us develop clinical decision tools,” she says.

“It could be an app or a risk score that doctors can use in their practice, or digital resources for patient use,” says Dr. Edwards. Such a tool would flag people at highest risk for Afib, pointing the way to further testing or treatment. This research will save lives while building new understanding of the heart-brain connection. And none of it would happen without donors like YOU.

Dr. Jodi Edwards Heart & Stroke researcher

Together, we will advance heart and brain research. To learn more, visit: heartandstroke.ca/research