Diagnosed With Atrial Fibrillation? What You Need to Know.
You just got home from the doctor's office, or maybe even the hospital, and you are trying to learn about a condition you now have: atrial fibrillation.
You have so many questions.
What is this heart condition?
Why do I have to take these new medications?
Is this condition dangerous?
Why did this happen to me?
Well, you came to the right place! This article will cover what you need to know about atrial fibrillation.
What is atrial fibrillation?
In order to understand atrial fibrillation, you have to understand some things about the human heart.
Simply put, the heart is made up of 4 chambers: 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom. The top two chambers are called the atria (right atrium and left atrium) and the bottom ones are called the ventricles (right and left).
As you can see from the photo above, there are also valves and blood vessels, but we are just going to focus on the chambers of the heart.
Specifically, the right atrium and left atrium.
A heart without atrial fibrillation will have atria that beat together, at the same time.
A heart with atrial fibrillation will have atria that do not beat together. The atria are not in sync. This produces an irregular heart rhythm, which can be fast or slow.
What causes atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart arrhythmia in the world.¹ So it comes to no surprise that research about the causes of atrial fibrillation is ongoing.
Typically, atrial fibrillation is a result of another disease or condition. Most commonly, it is a problem with the structure of your heart. But it can also be caused by:²
heart attack
lung diseases, such as COPD
physical stress due to infection, acute illness, surgery
heart surgery
poor functioning heart valve
sleep apnea
overactive thyroid
alcohol use
tobacco use
Researchers have also found that genetics play a key role in the cause of atrial fibrillation. If you have a family member with atrial fibrillation, you have a 40% greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation in your lifetime.¹
If possible, check with your immediate family to see if you may be at risk for atrial fibrillation.
How is atrial fibrillation treated?
There is a good chance that your diagnosis of atrial fibrillation came with several new medications. I will review two of the most common types of medications prescribed for atrial fibrillation along with their importance.
Medications that slow the heart rate
There are several classes of medications that slow the heart rate. Two of the most common types are beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. This includes medications such as:
Metoprolol (Lopressor)
Carvedilol (Coreg)
Diltiazem (Cardizem)
With atrial fibrillation, it is important to have a controlled heart rate as this decreases the risk of complications such as heart failure.³
A target heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.²
Other medications used to control the heart rate include Digoxin and Amiodarone, but they are only used when the above medications do not work on their own.
Medications that thin the blood
There are several medications used to thin the blood. The most common include:
Apixaban (Eliquis)
Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
Warfarin (Coumadin)
Blood thinners are used in atrial fibrillation to decrease the risk of stroke.⁴ When the atria (the top chambers of the heart) aren’t beating in sync, blood can pool in the heart.
When blood sits in the heart, a blood clot can form. This blood clot can then move into the brain, which results in a stroke.
While there are risks to being on blood thinners, the benefits of stroke risk reduction typically outweigh the risks of blood thinners. Before starting a blood thinner, discuss the benefits and risks with your healthcare provider.
Is atrial fibrillation dangerous?
In short…yes, it can be.
As mentioned above, atrial fibrillation can cause complications including heart failure and stroke. However, when managed with rate controlling medications and blood thinners, the risk of heart failure and stroke decrease.³
If you have questions about the complications and management of your atrial fibrillation, call your healthcare provider today.
You can also check out more topics on my blog, Medicine Made Simple, to get up-to-date, fact based information about health and wellness.
Stay informed, stay healthy.
Works cited:
1. Wijesurendra RS, Casadei B. Mechanisms of atrial fibrillation. Heart 2019;105:1860-1867.
2. Atrial fibrillation. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atrial-fibrillation/symptoms-causes/syc-20350624. Published October 19, 2021. Accessed September 07, 2022.
3. Rillig A, Magnussen C, Ozga AK, et al. Early Rhythm Control Therapy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure. Circulation. 2021;144(11):845-858. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.056323
4. Jame S, Barnes G. Stroke and thromboembolism prevention in atrial fibrillation. Heart. 2020;106(1):10-17. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2019-314898.
