Atrial Fibrillation (AFib): The most common heart rhythm disorder causing an abnormal, rapid heartbeat.
Stroke Risk: AFib increases the risk of stroke by about five times, making effective treatment crucial to prevent strokes.
Common Symptoms: Palpitations, fatigue, unusual tiredness, difficulty breathing, and sometimes feeling faint are common symptoms of AFib.
Irregular Pulse: The pulse during AFib is irregular, with no consistent pattern, and can include strong, weak, or absent beats.
Pulse Deficit: In AFib, the heart may beat faster, but fewer pulses are felt due to weak heart contractions, known as pulse deficiency.
Development of AFib: Caused by chaotic and irregular electrical impulses in the atria, leading to fluttering rather than rhythmic contractions.
Causes: Common causes include hypertension (30%), coronary artery disease, heart failure (20%), valvular heart disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and obesity.
Reentry Phenomenon: A fundamental mechanism where an electrical impulse circulates in a loop, causing continuous heart muscle stimulation and arrhythmias.
Endurance Exercise: Extreme endurance exercises, such as marathon running and long-distance cycling, can increase the risk of AFib.
ECG Findings: Irregular QRS complexes, absence of P waves, presence of erratic fibrillatory waves (f waves), and highly variable RR intervals.
Ultrasound Findings: Enlarged left atrium and possible mitral valve stenosis or regurgitation, which are associated with AFib.
TEE: Transesophageal echocardiography is effective in detecting thrombi in the atria.
Stroke Risk Assessment: Factors include hypertension, age over 65, diabetes, previous strokes, and being female.
Anticoagulant Therapy: Includes warfarin or DOACs (apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran) and is usually lifelong to prevent stroke.
Rhythm Control: Medications such as beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, digoxin, and antiarrhythmic drugs (propafenone, sotalol, amiodarone) are used to control heart rhythm. If ineffective, electrical cardioversion or catheter ablation may be necessary.
Disclaimer:
This information is provided for general knowledge and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your doctor for any questions or concerns you may have about your health.
By No machine-readable author provided. JHeuser assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikime...
By Ewingdo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikime...
By DrJanaOfficial - Official Website, Support, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikime...
By Peterhcharlton - Own work, CC BY 4.0, commons.wikime...
By BruceBlaus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikime...
By J. Heuser - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikime...
Негізгі бет Atrial fibrillation: symptoms, causes, risks and treatment.
Пікірлер