An expatriate patient, who has lived in the UAE for 25 years, has undergone a successful surgery for a rare heart condition that affects one in a million patients per year, Gulf News learnt on Monday. Cardiovascular diseases cause the second most deaths in Abu Dhabi, according to official data. Statistics published by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) show that 18 percent of people across the capital suffer from cardiovascular diseases and the number keeps increasing every year.

The latest case was discovered by accident when a 53-year-old Pakistani woman, Said Juma Akbar Jan, visited the doctor last week for a gynaecological check-up. During her examination, the doctors detected a rapid heartbeat.She was immediately referred to a cardiologist who performed an echocardiography (an ultra-sound examination on the heart) and detected a 4.5cm tumour in her left atrium. She was diagnosed with Atrial Myxoma - one of the most serious and rarest of heart conditions.

Even though Said did not suffer from any symptoms, except for feeling out of breath, a fourhour open-heart surgery had to be performed.