An "astonishing" number of people in the UK have been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in the last 10 years, the British Heart Foundation has said.
The research charity found there had been a 50% rise in cases of atrial fibrillation from a total of one million in 2013, after analysing NHS data.
The new total means that one in 45 people in the UK are known to be living with the condition that causes an irregular heartbeat.
Additionally, it is estimated that there are at least another 270,000 people in the UK who remain undiagnosed and unaware.
Someone with atrial fibrillation is five times more likely to have a potentially fatal or life-changing stroke, the BHF said.
Without treatment it can significantly increase the risk of a blood clot forming inside the heart.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the BHF, said: “These figures show a quite astonishing rise in the number of people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
“Research has helped us understand the links between atrial fibrillation and stroke and that has spurred the efforts we have seen in recent years to identify people with this potentially dangerous heart rhythm.
“What remains troubling is the sheer number of people who are undiagnosed and unaware that they are living with a heightened risk of stroke. Finding people with this hidden threat must remain a priority.”
Irregular heartbeat symptoms
On the NHS website for atrial fibrillation, it states that the most obvious symptom is having heart palpitations.
This is where the heart "feels like it's pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly, often for a few seconds or possibly a few minutes."
Additionally, your heart may beat very fast, often considerably higher than 100 beats per minute.
Other symptoms you may experience if you have atrial fibrillation include:
- tiredness and being less able to exercise
- breathlessness
- feeling faint or lightheaded
- chest pain
The website adds: "It's important to get medical advice to make sure it's nothing serious."
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