Atrial fibrillation

Your heart beats in a steady rhythm.

Sometimes, the top parts of the heart beat too fast. They may also beat in a messy way. This is called atrial fibrillation.

This can make your heart feel like it is skipping beats. You might feel dizzy or out of breath. Some people do not feel anything at all.

This fast beat can make it hard to move blood. This can lead to a stroke. A stroke is a serious health problem.

Doctors use a special machine to check your heart. It shows the rhythm on a screen. This helps them see if the beat is steady.

Staying active can help your heart stay strong. Eating well is also good for you.

Taking care of your body helps your heart.

Your heart usually beats in a steady rhythm.

Sometimes, the top parts of the heart beat too fast. They also beat in a messy way. This is called atrial fibrillation.

This is a common type of arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is a name for an abnormal heart rhythm.

Many people do not feel any symptoms. Others might feel their heart skip beats. This feeling is called palpitations. You might also feel dizzy or out of breath. This happens because the heart cannot move blood well. If blood does not move, it can cause a stroke. A stroke is a very serious health problem.

Doctors use a tool called an ECG to check your heart. An ECG shows your heart rhythm on a screen. In atrial fibrillation, the rhythm looks irregular. Many things can increase your risk. These include high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Some people also have a family history of this issue. Staying active and eating well can help your heart stay strong.

Atrial fibrillation is a common and serious way the heart beats.

Doctors often call it AF, AFib, or A-fib. It is a type of arrhythmia, which means an abnormal heart rhythm. In this condition, the top chambers of the heart beat very fast and in a messy way.

This irregular beating can happen in short bursts or it can last a long time. Sometimes, it starts as a different rhythm called atrial flutter before turning into AF. This rhythm is a type of supraventricular tachycardia, which is a fancy way to say a fast heart rate starting in the upper chambers.

When the heart beats this way, it cannot pump blood as well as it should.

This can lead to many different feelings for a person. Some people feel palpitations, which is the sensation of the heart skipping beats or thumping. Others might feel dizzy, faint, or have a hard time breathing. In some cases, the person might not feel anything at all. However, the lack of good blood flow can cause serious problems like a stroke or heart failure.

A stroke happens when the brain does not get enough blood.

Doctors have been studying these irregular pulses for a long time.

A man named Jean-Baptiste de Sénac first reported an irregular pulse in 1749. Much later, in 1909, a doctor named Thomas Lewis was the first to show this rhythm using an ECG. An ECG is a tool that lets doctors see the heart's electrical signals on a screen. In a person with AF, the ECG shows irregular spacing and is missing certain waves called P waves.

This helps doctors confirm exactly what is happening with the heart.

Many different things can change how much risk a person has.

High blood pressure and heart valve disease are very common factors. Other risks include sleep apnea, which is a breathing problem during sleep, and obesity. Even things like smoking or drinking too much alcohol can play a role. Some people also have a family history that makes them more likely to have AF. As people get older, the risk goes up quite a bit. For example, only 0.1% of people under 50 have it, but 14% of people over 80 might.

There are many ways doctors can help manage this condition.

Some people take medicine to slow their heart rate down. This is called rate control. Other medicines help keep the rhythm steady, which is called rhythm control. Doctors can also use electricity to reset the heart rhythm during an emergency. This is called electrical cardioversion. In some cases, doctors can use a procedure called ablation to fix the parts of the heart causing the mess. This can help prevent the irregular rhythm from coming back.

Atrial fibrillation, often called AF, AFib, or A-fib, is a serious type of arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm.

In this condition, the atrial chambers—the top parts of the heart—beat very rapidly and irregularly. It is a form of supraventricular tachycardia, which means a fast heart rate originating above the ventricles. This irregular rhythm can appear in short bursts or become a continuous state. Sometimes, it may even start as another rhythm called atrial flutter before transforming into AF.

The mechanism of AF involves chaotic electrical signals within the heart. Often, these bursts of tachycardia start in muscle bundles that extend from the atrium to the pulmonary veins.

Other areas, like the left atrial appendage, the ligament of Marshall, or the ganglionated plexi, can also trigger the rhythm. As the condition becomes more persistent, the left atrium itself can become an independent source of these arrhythmias. This happens because the junction between the pulmonary veins and the left atrium changes over time. Because the heart beats so uncoordinatedly, it can reduce cardiac output. This means the heart cannot pump enough blood to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body.

Symptoms of AF vary widely between different people. Some individuals are asymptomatic, meaning they feel no symptoms at all. Others may experience palpitations, which is the sensation of the heart beating too fast or skipping beats. Other symptoms include lightheadedness, fainting, or shortness of breath. In some cases, the lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain can cause a loss of consciousness. If the condition leads to congestive heart failure, a person might notice fatigue or swelling in their lower extremities.

In some instances, the rhythm is only discovered when a person suffers a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

There are many different risk factors associated with developing AF. High blood pressure and valvular heart disease are common modifiable factors. Other cardiovascular risks include coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and congenital heart disease. Lung-related issues like COPD, obesity, and sleep apnea are also significant. Sleep apnea, in particular, is a very strong predictor of the condition.

Lifestyle factors such as tobacco smoking and excessive alcohol intake can increase risk. Interestingly, about half of all cases are not linked to any of these specific risks. Genetics also play a role, as having a first-degree relative with AF increases risk by 40%.

Medical history shows how our understanding of AF has grown. The first known report of an irregular pulse was made by Jean-Baptiste de Sénac in 1749. It took much longer to see the electrical patterns, however. In 1909, Thomas Lewis became the first doctor to document AF using an electrocardiogram, or ECG.

Today, doctors use the ECG to confirm a diagnosis. A typical ECG for AF shows irregularly spaced QRS complexes and a lack of P waves.

This electrical map allows healthcare professionals to see exactly how the heart is misfiring.

AF affects a massive number of people globally. As of 2020, it affects more than 33 million people worldwide. In 2014, it affected about 2% to 3% of the population in Europe and North America. The prevalence of AF increases significantly as people age. For those under 50, the rate is only 0.1%. This rises to 4% for those between 60 and 70. For people over 80, the rate reaches 14%.

These numbers show why managing the condition is so important for aging populations.

Doctors use several methods to treat and manage AF. They may use rate control to slow the heart rate or rhythm control to restore a normal sinus rhythm.

If a person is unstable, doctors might use electrical cardioversion to reset the rhythm during an emergency. Another option is ablation, where doctors destroy small areas of heart tissue to stop the irregular signals.

For those at high risk of stroke, doctors often prescribe anti-clotting medications like warfarin. While these help prevent strokes, they can also increase the risk of major bleeding. Healthy changes like weight loss and more physical activity can also help reduce the burden of the disease.