By Dave Warner
To those in the know, which include some 2.2 million sufferers, it’s simply Afib.
More formally called Atrial fibrillation, it’s a condition in which your heart can beat too fast or irregularly. There can be major consequences as a result of that, most notably the possibility of stroke. It’s estimated that some 15 percent of strokes occur because of untreated Afib.
The unexpected onset of Afib can also be a dramatic event for the people who experience it.
A 69-year-old East Coast lawyer felt that drama first-hand a year ago when he was working out – a regular routine for him – at his favorite gym.
“I happened to be walking on a treadmill at the gym,” he said. Then his heart felt as though it was fluttering.
“I slowed down, waiting for it to go away.”
But it didn’t, so he decided to leave the gym.
“I got in my car, and I thought I could turn left, and head back to my office, or turn right, and go to the hospital.”
He made the right turn.
In a short time, and an electrocardiogram later, the doctors in the emergency room had diagnosed his problem: Afib.
He spent three days in the hospital, undergoing a battery of tests. Eventually, his doctors prescribed medication to stabilize his heart rhythm. He’s back at the gym 4-5 times a week these days, something he has done for 35-years, and was back to work almost immediately.
But life for the lawyer is not quite the same. He has stopped drinking anything with caffeine – “I was a huge coffee drinker” – and limited his alcohol consumption to a glass of wine every now and again.
“I drink more water now,” he said.
In a way, the lawyer was lucky – no stroke.
He was also fortunate in that the fluttering prompted him to head for the emergency room. Sometimes, there are no symptoms, but the risk of stroke is there even then. So how would you know? Symptoms other than fluttering can include being weak, tired, breathless or dizzy. Tell your doctor if that sounds like you.
Your doctor may ask you to wear a monitor that records your heart’s electrical activity for up to two days, or a different type of monitor you might be wearing for up to two months.
People with Afib have five times the chance of the rest of the population of suffering a stroke. That’s because Afib causes blood to pool in the heart’s two upper chambers – the atria – because the quivering chambers cannot push all the blood out that they normally do. That pooled blood can clot, and if one of those clots then heads for the brain – stroke.
Most commonly patients who suffer Afib are prescribed a blood thinner to prevent those clots from forming. Drugs containing warfarin are typical choices, as is common aspirin.
Doctors also prescribe medications to control your heart rhythm, such as amiodarone, sotalol, flecainide, propafenone, dofetilde or ibutilde.
They can also use low-level electrical shocks to restore your normal rhythm, or use a catheter inserted in a vein, and with it a wire that carries radio waves to destroy tissue that may be causing your problem.
Who’s at risk? People who are getting older tend to be more in danger for Afib, although about half of its victims are younger than 75. Also, more men than women suffer from Afib.
Others at risk: those who already have coronary heart disease, who have experienced heart failure, have rheumatic heart disease, heart defects such as valve disorders, inflammation of the sack around the heart or congenital heart disease.
Other risk factors include too much thyroid hormone, being overweight, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Can you also help yourself before Afib gets to be a problem?
Experts suggest a range of lifestyle changes that are common to many cardiac-related conditions:
- Eat food that is low in fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
- Quit smoking.
- Exercise regularly.
- Watch your weight.
- Limit your alcohol intake.
- Be careful how much caffeine you drink.
- Also, watch for stimulants in cold and cough medications.
Atrial Fibrillation is serious, no doubt. But experts say many patients can live normal lives and control their symptoms in the process.
Tell Us What You Think Of This Story. Share your comments below.
Learn more about stroke
SCHEDULE A SCREENING
Sources: