Understanding Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart condition that many older Americans experience. According to the American Heart Association, more than 2.7 million people live with atrial fibrillation. September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month, making it a perfect time to learn about the condition, treatment options, and prevention.
What is atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that can cause stroke, blood clots, heart failure, and other heart-related issues. The heart has four chambers. When a person has atrial fibrillation, the heart's top two chambers beat out of sync with the lower chambers. In most instances, atrial fibrillation causes no symptoms. However, some people experience pounding heartbeats, chest pains, dizziness, lightheadedness, or shortness of breath.
There are four categories of atrial fibrillation depending on how long and severe the symptoms:
- Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: Symptoms come and go, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.
- Persistent: Symptoms are ongoing, and the heart will not return to a regular heartbeat without treatment.
- Long-standing persistent: Symptoms are ongoing for longer than one year.
- Permanent: Symptoms are permanent, and the individual needs medications and other treatments to control the heart rate and prevent further complications.
Atrial fibrillation as a stand-alone disease is not life-threatening, but the condition does increase the risk of stroke and heart failure if not adequately treated. The most common reason a person develops atrial fibrillation is something unusual about the heart's structure. Unique heart structures can occur in people with coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart valve problems, lung disease, or sleep apnea.
Treating atrial fibrillation
Treatment varies depending on the symptoms and how long a person has the condition. The primary goals of treatment are to reset the heart rhythm, control the heart rate, and prevent blood clots. Doctors achieve these goals with medications, therapy, and surgery.
Doctors prescribe medications for two main reasons. One is to prevent blood clots, a common complication of atrial fibrillation. The second is controlling the heart rate and returning it to normal. Another option for resetting the heart rhythm is a procedure called cardioversion therapy. There are two types of cardioversions; electrical and dug. In electrical cardioversion, a doctor sends electric shocks to the heart to reset it. Drug cardioversion is when doctors administer medications through an IV.
Some individuals undergo surgery to treat atrial fibrillation when medications and cardioversion therapy don't work. A typical surgery is a cardiac ablation that restores the natural heartbeat by creating a scar in the heart and inserting a catheter that uses heat or extreme cold to block abnormal electrical signals.
Preventing atrial fibrillation
The best way to prevent atrial fibrillation as you age is to lead a heart-healthy life. A heart-healthy lifestyle includes eating a well-balanced diet, exercising, managing stress, and not smoking.
- Eat a well-balanced diet. Try to incorporate more fresh produce and lean meats such as chicken, fish, and turkey.
- Exercise regularly. Dedicating 30 to 40 minutes of exercise doesn't mean committing to strenuous activity. Try going for a long walk, hike, bike ride, or swim.
- Don't smoke. Smoking nicotine products increase your risk for tons of health conditions. Quit smoking and talk to your doctor if you're having trouble ridding cigarettes from your life.
- Find healthy ways to manage your stress. Chronic, uncontrolled stress can increase your blood pressure and the risk of atrial fibrillation. Find healthy ways to manage your stress, whether exercise, therapy, or meditation.
How Visiting Angels can help
If you or an aging loved one is living with atrial fibrillation or another heart complication that makes independent living challenging, the Visiting Angels team can help. Our team of compassionate caregivers can assist with non-medical tasks like light housekeeping, meal preparations, personal grooming, transportation, mobility assistance, and more.
Visiting Angels Garland serves those in Fate, Heath, Lucas, Quinlan, Rockwall, Rowlett, Royse City, Sachse, West Tawakoni, and Wylie. If you'd like to learn more about our services, send us a message or call 214.703.8123.