rhythm like atrial fibrillation (also called A-fib or AF) can sometimes
be just as serious.
blood doesn't flow normally to the heart's ventricles and the risk of
clotting increases as does the risk for stroke. In fact, if left untreated,
A-fib doubles your risk of death from a heart-related condition and
increases your risk of stroke by four to five times, according to the
American Heart Association.
· More than 2.2 million people in the U.S. have A-fib.
· About 160,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
· A-fib is uncommon among young people, although it can occur in
the condition may be related to certain medical problems, such as:
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Diabetes
Structural defects of the heart and its valves
Inflammation of the heart (pericarditis)
Lung disease including obstructive sleep apnea
Thyroid disease
Familial A-fib (a rare, genetic disease)
because the symptoms of A-fib may not be that noticeable.
rhythm, which are shortness of breath, fatigue and a general lack of
energy," says Mauricio Arruda, MD, Director of the Electrophysiology
Center and Atrial Fibrillation Center at University Hospitals
Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.
antiarrhythmic drugs that can alter the electrical properties of your
heart. When medications aren't enough, catheter ablation may help.
During this nonsurgical procedure, a catheter is guided through a
blood vessel to your heart, ablating the area of tissue causing A-fib,
thereby restoring normal rhythm.
presented by University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular
Institute at UHhospitals.org/AFseminar.