By Ernst Lamothe Jr.
It’s a condition that results in more than 454,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year. Even worse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict around 12.1 million people could be diagnosed with the ailment by 2031.
Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm from the top chambers of the heart. This often causes the heart to beat irregularly and quickly. The risks of atrial fibrillation include stroke, and if the heart rate is fast, it can weaken the heart.
“A-fib needs to be taken seriously because a rapid heartbeat can be the first warning sign of other conditions,” said physician Thomas Grady, who works at the Center for Cardiology at Oswego Health. “If you have a situation where your heart rate fails to decrease you start having shortness of breath which cannot be ignored.”
He explains five things you should know about A-fib.
1 — Symptoms
A-fib often presents with racing heartbeats, irregular heartbeats and a lack of stamina. However, many patients have no symptoms, particularly those whose heart rates are not as fast when they are in atrial fibrillation. Other symptoms include lightheadedness, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pains. A normal heartbeat begins with one electrical impulse from the sinus node, a single point in the heart’s right atrium. A healthy person’s heart usually beats 60 to 150 beats per minute. With A-fib, electrical impulses fire from multiple sites in both atria. That can cause the atria to contract 400 or more times per minute. The ventricles become overwhelmed trying to keep up with the contractions.
“It is also important to note that some people don’t have clear symptoms which is why we are always advocating seeing your physician regularly,” said Grady.
If a clot breaks off and enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results. About 15% to 20% of people who have strokes have this heart arrhythmia. This clot risk is why patients with this condition are put on blood thinners.
2 — Prevention
A healthy lifestyle with regular aerobic exercise and a well-balanced diet helps reduce your risk of atrial fibrillation and other forms of heart disease. Exercise works like beta-blocker medication to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure at rest and also when exercising. A combination of aerobic workouts including walking, running, swimming, in combination with strength training, remains the ideal combination for great heart health. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. In addition, experts recommend avoiding tobacco and smoking.
“Even something as simple as walking or moderate exercise for 30 minutes can make a world of difference for your heart health,” said Grady. “Living a healthy lifestyle and understanding that exercise and nutrition lead to healthy heart habits is essential.”
Episodes of atrial fibrillation may come and go, or they may be persistent. However, even though the condition isn’t always life-threatening it has the possibility of leading to more serious medical conditions that require proper treatment.
3 — Family history
Family history can play a role in atrial fibrillation. Certain genes have been identified as associated with atrial fibrillation. If you have familial atrial fibrillation, you may get it earlier in life than do those without a family history of the condition.
“There is some correlation with family history but it has more to do with underlying conditions. There are some families who tend to have higher blood pressure and other health conditions,” he said. “However, there are a lot of individual factors that can’t be simply tied to genetics. Your individual stress levels can affect your body as well as your health choices.”
Asian and Black populations see lower atrial fibrillation rates than those of European ancestry.
4 — Misconceptions
A common misconception about atrial fibrillation is that a pacemaker is the first and best therapy. A pacemaker does not keep the heart beating regularly. It increases the heart rate.
“Some of the biggest misconceptions come from trying to self-diagnose. A-fib can be very complicated and does not always present in the same way for every individual,” said Grady. “That is one of the reasons we want to educate people about this condition. The more they understand it the more they may see early detection signs as a reason to go to their physician.”
5 — Climbing upwards
Atrial fibrillation incidence is climbing. While no single cause links to atrial fibrillation, the possibility does increase as you age.
“Even though this is a condition that does tend to trend toward older patients, the numbers are showing an increase in people being diagnosed,” he added.