If you find yourself short of breath often, you could be one of millions of Americans with atrial fibrillation, or AFib.
More than 454,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized for atrial fibrillation each year. It’s also known to be the leading cause of stroke and congestive heart failure in the United States. So, although it can seem harmless when it’s first developing, AFib can lead to other heart-related problems if it’s not treated.
First of all, what is atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia. It’s the most common type of heart arrhythmia.
AFib happens when the beating in the upper chambers of your heart is off pace with the beating of the lower chambers. Instead of a smooth beat, your heart quivers. When you have an irregular heartbeat like this, the blood doesn’t flow like it should to the lower chambers of the heart. If untreated, this can lead to some serious health conditions.
What causes atrial fibrillation?
The exact cause of AFib is not yet known, but some health conditions lead to its development.
These include:
- An existing heart defect
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Lung disease
- Pneumonia
- Previous heart surgery
- Sleep apnea
- Thyroid issues
- Viral infections
Are there risk factors for atrial fibrillation?
The older you are, the greater your risk of atrial fibrillation. People who have high blood pressure are also at a higher risk of getting the condition.
Here are some additional risk factors for developing AFib:
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- Abnormal heart valves
- Age older than 60 years old
- Alcohol use
- Caffeine or nicotine use
- Chronic medical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, ischemic heart disease
- Congenital heart disease
- Diabetes
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Enlarged chambers of the left side of your heart
- European descent
- Family history of AFib
- High blood pressure
- History of sleep apnea
- Narrowed heart arteries
- Obesity
- Overactive or underactive thyroid gland
- A previous heart attack
- Prior heart surgery, heart failure, cardiomyopathy and other heart damage
- Smoking
- Taking certain over-the-counter cough and cold medicines and certain prescription drugs
What are the symptoms of atrial fibrillation?
The main symptom of AFib is an unusually strong or irregular heartbeat. You might feel like your heart is quivering or skipping beats, or sometimes it feels like your heart is doing flip-flops or banging against your chest.
You might also have some of these symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Extreme fatigue
- Fast heart rate
- Heart palpitations (rapid, flutter or pounding)
- Intolerance to exercise
- Irregular heartbeat
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
Sometimes, people with AFib don’t experience any symptoms at all. This is why it’s important to have regular check-ups with your primary care provider so they can help detect warning signs.
If you have atrial fibrillation, what symptoms should you go to the hospital for?
Any time you feel your heart beating strangely or you have chest pain, let your doctor know right away. You should go to the emergency room if your symptoms last 24 hours or worsen.
Whenever you feel like you’re having the symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, call 911 immediately. More specifically, if you have any of the following symptoms, go to the emergency room right away:
- Chest pain that lasts more than five to 10 minutes
- Difficulty breathing
- Feeling cold and clammy
- Feeling like you will pass out
- Feeling very weak
Are there treatment options for atrial fibrillation?
It’s important to treat AFib. If you don’t, your risk of having a heart-related death doubles. You’re also five times more likely to have a stroke. AFib causes one out of every seven strokes.
Proper atrial fibrillation management can include:
- Ablation surgery that freezes areas of heart tissue causing AFib
- Blood thinners to prevent blood clots
- Brief electrical shock to reset the rhythm of your heart
- Cardioversion — using a medication or electric current to reset the heart rhythm
- Heart catheter
- Left atrial appendage closure procedure — a procedure used to help reduce the risk of stroke associated with atrial fibrillation. You may need a left atrial appendage closure procedure to help reduce your risk of stroke if you cannot take blood-thinning medications.
- Medications that can help normalize your heart rate and rhythm
- Rate control medications
- Rhythm control medications
- Weight loss surgery
And finally, are there things you can do to avoid atrial fibrillation?
The best way to avoid developing AFib is to lead a healthy lifestyle. This includes:
- Drinking little or no alcohol
- Eating a heart-healthy diet
- Exercising daily
- Maintaining a healthy weight
Do you live in the Richmond, Va. area?
If so, Barry Bui, MD (pictured above, right), along with our other skilled team members, is here to help with all of your arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation needs.
“Dr. Bui is a brilliant heart doctor,” Donald Withers, a satisfied patient, shares. “I’m so grateful that he was referred to me. When I first met him, I was hospitalized and struggling to recover from a bleeding ulcer, sleep apnea and out-of-control AFib. He took over, explained everything in layman’s terms and then developed a strategy to address the issues. It included the Watchman procedure, which was complete with videos of the procedure itself. Now, no Eliquis or other blood thinners for me – just baby aspirin. I am 82, walk 30 to 40 miles a month and feel great. Dr. Bui is enormously skilled, detail-oriented and has a great follow-up. He goes the extra mile and does it with grace and dignity. He knows his stuff and communicates it like a next-door neighbor. I could not be happier. Consider yourself lucky if you are one of his patients. He’s the best.”
Learn more about all the heart and vascular services we provide at Bon Secours.
