Which of the following is not a cause of atrial fibrillation
Any person, ranging from children to adults, can develop atrial fibrillation. Because the likelihood of AFib increases with age and people are living longer today, medical researchers predict the number of AFib cases will rise dramatically over the next few years. Even though AFib clearly increases the risks of heart-related death and stroke, many patients do not fully recognize the potentially serious consequences. Show
Who is at higher risk?Typically people who have one or more of the following conditions are at higher risk for AFib:
Play without Auto-Play Play Video Text Video: Maricela Wilson shares her AFib story Connect with People Who CareIf you or someone you love is affected by atrial fibrillation, explore our online community for people living with AFib.Visit My AFib Experience today Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. Afib stands for atrial fibrillation (AF), which is a type of arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat. Afib is caused by extremely fast and irregular beats from the upper chambers of the heart (usually more than 400 beats per minute). A normal, healthy heartbeat involves a regular contraction of the heart muscle. A contraction happens about once per second at rest and increases with exercise. Each contraction pushes blood from the atria (the two upper chambers) to the ventricles (the two lower chambers). The ventricles then contract and push the blood to the lungs or to the rest of the body. But in a person with Afib, faulty electrical signals make the atria contract irregularly and much faster than normal. The atria then get out of sync with the ventricles. Blood can pool in the atrium, which may lead to blood clots and strokes. Afib that causes the lower chambers to beat too quickly can cause heart failure. Afib may occur occasionally, or it can be constant. What happens during atrial fibrillation?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 Afib, 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. They beat faster than they should, and they may not have time to fill with blood and pump blood normally. As a result, blood pools in the atria instead of moving into the ventricles and out to the rest of the body. This pooling increases the risk of blood clots in the heart. Blood clots can travel from the heart into the bloodstream and into the brain, leading to a stroke. What are the types of Afib?There are three types of atrial fibrillation:
What are the symptoms of atrial fibrillation?Sometimes Afib causes no symptoms at all; you might not know you have it. When it does cause symptoms, those can include:
Afib can also lead to serious complications:
What are the risk factors for Afib?Afib occurs more often in people with certain characteristics:
The condition can run in families, especially when it happens at a young age. What is Afib with RVR?Some cases of Afib involve atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response (RVR). This is when the rapid contractions of the atria make the ventricles beat too quickly. If the ventricles beat too fast, they can’t receive enough blood. So they can’t meet the body’s need for oxygenated blood. This can lead to heart failure. How is Afib diagnosed?If doctors suspect an Afib diagnosis, they’ll perform a physical exam, including a check of the heart rate and rhythm. They will also order an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), the definitive test for atrial fibrillation diagnosis. ECG uses round sensors (electrodes) placed on the chest, arms and legs. Wires connect the sensors to a machine that measures electrical currents in your body. The results provide information about:
Because Afib can come and go, a single ECG may not detect a problem. Your doctor may recommend a special ECG monitor to record your heart rhythm over an extended time. Examples include:
AFib Treatment at Johns Hopkins
AFib Treatment and Doctors How is Afib treated?The most important step in Afib management is assessing a person’s risk of stroke. For people with multiple stroke risk factors (for example, older than 65 and high blood pressure), anticoagulation medications are recommended. These drugs help prevent blood clots to lower the risk of stroke. The second step is to slow the person’s resting heart rate to 80 beats per minute. This can be accomplished with medications. The third step involves deciding whether to control heart rhythm with antiarrhythmic medication or a medical procedure. For people who are in Afib all the time, cardioversion (electrical shock) can restore normal rhythm. Medications or catheter ablation can then help maintain the rhythm. Medications to control heart rate and rhythm and prevent complications include: Medications to slow the heart rate:
Medications to control heart rhythm (anti-arrhythmics):
Medications to prevent blood clots and strokes (anticoagulants or blood thinners):
If medications don’t control Afib well enough to prevent complications, your health care provider may recommend surgical procedures to treat the condition: What are the causes of atrial fibrillation?Causes of atrial fibrillation. Coronary artery disease.. Heart attack.. Heart defect that you're born with (congenital heart defect). Heart valve problems.. High blood pressure.. Lung diseases.. Physical stress due to surgery, pneumonia or other illnesses.. Previous heart surgery.. What are the 4 types of atrial fibrillation?But in 2014, new guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association changed the classification of atrial fibrillation from two types to four:. paroxysmal AFib.. persistent AFib.. long-standing persistent AFib.. permanent AFib.. |