People with the heart disorder, atrial fibrillation (AF), are five times more likely to have a stroke, yet most Irish people have either never heard of it or do not think it is a serious condition, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has warned.

AF causes irregular and rapid heartbeats, which can make the heart less efficient at pumping blood around the body. This can lead to palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, angina and the development of blood clots. However, there may be no symptoms, therefore a person may be unaware that they have it.

As many as 40,000 adults over the age of 50 have the condition in Ireland.

The cause of AF is not always known, but the risk does appear to be increased in people with one or more medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.

The IHF has just launched a new national awareness campaign, aimed at encouraging adults to have regular pulse checks to detect the condition. According to the foundation, AF is responsible for about 30% of strokes in Ireland, however just 26% of the population has heard of it and just 2% believe it is a serious condition.

Helping to launch the campaign, former Ireland and Lions rugby player, Fergus Slattery, who has the condition, explained that he knew something was wrong when he started to experience unusual breathlessness.

"There is no question that AF carries a big risk of stroke. The stats are huge - it increases the risk by around 500% which is serious. I know many people are reticent to check themselves or to go for check-ups but AF is too serious to be ignored. A simple pulse check every so often taken by yourself or a health professional, is all it might take to detect it early," he commented.

According to IHF stroke expert, Dr Ronan Collins, sufferers of AF are often unaware they have the condition ‘until the moment they realise they are having a stroke'.

"I have treated many patients who only discovered they had AF after presenting with the serious neurological symptoms of stroke. AF causes one in three strokes in Ireland and stroke caused by AF is more likely to leave you disabled or dead," he explained.

He emphasised that the majority of AF cases are silent, ‘which makes it vital to have increased public awareness and to teach adults, particularly as we age, how to regularly check our own pulse for significant irregularity'.

To help adults learn how to take their own pulse, the IHF has provided a step-by-step guide here

"By knowing how to take your own pulse or by having it regularly checked, you can detect the condition. The recommended normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 heartbeats per minute but some people can have heart rates over 100. You should see your doctor if you have a persistent heart rate above 120 beats per minute or below 40 beats per minute," added IHF medical director, Dr Angie Brown.