Screening check
Should I be screened for atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common irregular heartbeat and a major risk factor for stroke, and it often goes unnoticed. The US Preventive Services Task Force looked at whether people without symptoms should be screened. Check what it says for you.
About you
Nothing you enter leaves this page.
What you will see
What the USPSTF says about atrial fibrillation screening for you.
Educational only, not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your heart rhythm.
Source
US Preventive Services Task Force, January 2022 recommendation on screening for atrial fibrillation.
Validated in
Adults 50 or older without a diagnosis or symptoms of atrial fibrillation and without a past stroke or TIA.
Limits
It is not a heart rhythm test and cannot tell whether you have AF. It does not estimate stroke risk for people already diagnosed.
What the USPSTF recommends
| Who | Recommendation | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Adults 50 or older without signs or symptoms of AF | Evidence insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of screening | I |
The 2022 recommendation is consistent with the 2018 one. This time the USPSTF also looked at newer screening methods, including automated blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, smartwatches and smartphone apps, and still did not find enough evidence to recommend for or against screening (USPSTF 2022). Clinicians should use their judgment about whether and how to screen. The USPSTF counts feeling the pulse as part of routine care (USPSTF 2022).
Why it matters
AF becomes more common with age, from under 0.2% of adults younger than 55 to about 10% of those 85 or older, and it is more common in men than in women (USPSTF 2022). People with AF have a much higher risk of stroke, and strokes linked to AF tend to be more severe. In about 20% of people who have a stroke linked to AF, the stroke is the first sign of the condition (USPSTF 2022).
Other risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, smoking, alcohol or drug use, underlying heart disease, a past stroke, previous heart or chest surgery and an overactive thyroid (USPSTF 2022).
Why the evidence is not enough yet
The main reason to screen is to find people who could take blood thinners to prevent stroke (USPSTF 2022). Only one trial, STROKESTOP, was large enough to look at health outcomes. After about 7 years it found no significant difference in ischemic stroke or death between people invited to screening and those who were not. A combined outcome that mixed benefits and harms was slightly lower with screening, but the trial changed its main outcome partway through, and some participants already had AF or a past TIA (USPSTF 2022).
Screening can also find AF that shows up only on a device and may last only a short time. The stroke risk of this device-detected AF is uncertain, and so is whether or when it needs blood thinners (USPSTF 2022).
Possible harms
The tests themselves are not linked to significant harm, though an abnormal result can cause anxiety. A misread test can lead to a wrong diagnosis and unneeded treatment, and an ECG can turn up other findings that lead to more tests (USPSTF 2022). Blood thinners raise the risk of bleeding (USPSTF 2022).
Common questions
My smartwatch flagged an irregular rhythm. What now?
Consumer devices use ECG or light-based sensors to look for an irregular rhythm, which may or may not be AF (USPSTF 2022). Share the reading with your clinician, who can decide whether a medical test is needed.
I already have AF. What is my stroke risk?
This check is about screening. If you have been diagnosed, the stroke risk check explains how clinicians estimate stroke risk in AF.
Also see the stroke risk check, the blood pressure screening check, the heart risk calculator, the ECG screening check, the sleep apnea risk check and all screening tests by age.
Sources
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Atrial Fibrillation: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2022;327(4):360. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/atrial-fibrillation-screening
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-10-30. Spotted an error? See About.