VOA标准英语2011--Sustained Irregular Heartbeat Raises Mor

Sustained Irregular Heartbeat Raises Mortality Risk for Middle Aged¹ Women

Many doctors see atrial fibrillation (AF), an abnormal heart rhythm, in their elderly patients. But a new study indicates that a surprising number of middle aged women, who are otherwise healthy, are diagnosed with AF and are at a higher risk of death.
Judy Kulp has come to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston to check on her atrial fibrillation.
"It feels like a middle school kid who wants to be a drummer in the band, but has no sense of rhythm," said Kulp.
Atrial fibrillation happens when electrical impulses in two of the four chambers² of the heart go into an irregular or chaotic³ pattern. Doctors often diagnose it when patients come in with symptoms of heart papitations. It is a condition not commonly seen in middle aged women.
An international group of researchers wanted to know why, so they looked at results of the Women's Health Study, conducted from 1993 to 2010. Data was collected from 35,000 women whose average age was 53. No one in the group had previous heart problems. But surprisingly, the women with sustained atrial fibrillation had a twofold greater risk of death than others.
Dr. David Conen of the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland and other researchers wanted to know what the risk factors were for these women, especially those who appeared to be healthy.
"There was an increased risk of death among women who developed atrial fibrillation, even in a population who was at absolutely low risk of cardiovascular disease at baseline," said Conen.
Cardiologist Christine Albert of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts was one of the researchers. She says the key is whether the AF is constant.
"When we looked at women who had what we call paroxysmal [brief and intermittent] atrial fibrillation, which is atrial fibrillation that comes and goes, we didn't find an elevation⁴ in total mortality," said Albert.
Patients are often treated with medication to reduce high blood pressure and are urged to reduce their cholesterol⁵ levels and not to smoke. Judy Kulp underwent what's called ablation therapy, which uses catheters to suppress the atrial fibrillation.
"I feel fantastic," said Kulp. "I haven't had any symptoms. The difference of not knowing what's going to happen from day to day, to feeling great, is wonderful."
Women, and men, who feel they have symptoms of atrial fibrillation are advised to see their doctor for appropriate treatment. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

5 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。