What is AFib?
When your heart is working correctly, it contracts and relaxes in a regular rhythm. If your heartbeat speeds up or becomes irregular, you may be experiencing atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is an irregular heart rate in which the atria, or top chambers of the heart, and the ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart, are not beating in synch. The atria chambers are actually beating in a much more rapid rate than the ventricles.
Because an irregular heartbeat is not very effective in moving blood into the ventricles, blood can pool in the atria and form a clot. If the clot breaks off and travels through the bloodstream to the brain, it can cause a stroke. AFib patients are often prescribed blood-thinning medications for this reason.
AFib treatments can vary, however, because AFib causes can vary. They include infection, lung disease, sleep apnea, valvular heart disease and hyperthyroidism. But the number one risk factor for AFib is age. About 9% of people over the age of 65 have atrial fibrillation. In addition to medication, AFib treatment options include lifestyle modifications and cardiac procedures such as cardiac ablation, including pulsed field ablation.
Common signs and symptoms of AFib are:
- Palpitations
- Fluttering
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness
Patients sometimes describe AFib as feeling like butterflies or like a fish flopping in their chest.
If you are experiencing any symptoms you think may be AFib, talk to your primary care provider or a cardiologist. Diagnostic testing may include an electrocardiogram or a complete electrophysiology study.