I Cannot Tell AFib — Acme Corp Wellness

Atrial fibrillation or AFib is one of the most common heart arrhythmia or irregularity in the U.S. It affects more than 2 million people.

AFib needs to be taken seriously. It increases the risk of stroke and can contribute to heart failure and other heart conditions.

When someone develops AFib, the upper chambers of the heart, the atria, beat rapidly and irregularly. The atria quiver instead of squeezing normally. This causes less blood to pump out of the atria, so blood can pool there. This pooled blood can clot and be pumped out of the heart to the brain, blocking the blood supply and causing a stroke.

People with AFib often feel a fluttering or “thumping” in their chest, an unexplained racing of the heart, or that their heart is skipping beats. Other symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, lack of energy, and chest pain or pressure. Some people have no symptoms at all.

AFib can be related to high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, or diseased heart valves. It is important to be diagnosed and treated early.

The longer you wait for diagnosis and treatment, the more AFib progresses and becomes increasingly difficult to treat. Your doctor can refer you to a heart specialist.

Initial treatment is medication. Possible medical procedures may include electrical cardioversion (restores heart rhythm using low-energy shock to the heart) and catheter ablation (uses heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart that block faulty heart signals).