Having launched a new campaign to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation, which is characterized by an abnormal heart rhythm, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is urging people to check their pulse, thereby emphasizing that a 60-second health check can help detect a heart stroke.

A study by the charity found that out of the nearly 800,000 people affected by atrial fibrillation in the UK, those who are above 55 years of age face the maximum risk of a stroke – having up to five times more likelihood of suffering a stroke vis-à-vis the healthy people.

Bringing to light the fact that three in four people are unaware that an uneven beat can cause a stroke, and thus never check their pulse, the charity said that abnormal heart rhythm triggers formation of blood clots, leading to 16,000 strokes every year.

Going by the findings of a survey by the BHF, while 90 percent of the people are aware of the importance of checks for testicular cancer, and

89 percent know about self-checks for breast cancer; only barely percent know about the health benefits of a self-check of their pulse.

As a part of its new campaign, the BHF has asked people to get advice on how to take their pulse by either calling up its dedicated phone line, 0300 333 2 333, or by visiting its ‘bhf. org. uk/pulse’ website.