By Barbara Pierce
“I just couldn’t believe that someone who had lived the life that I’d led, exercise and a good diet all the time. I thought that should last me for the rest of my life — but that’s not the case.”
This is how basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar describes his atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib.
You’ve probably seen his commercials, he’s working to raise awareness about AFib, a common type of irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots and increase the risk of stroke.
We asked physician Cynthia Jones, medical director of Mosaic Health and president of the board of directors at American Heart Association of the Mohawk Valley to help us understand AFib.
1. Risk Increases with Age
“Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib or AF, is the most common type of irregular heartbeat. The abnormal firing of electrical impulses causes the atria (the top chambers in the heart) to quiver (or fibrillate),” said Jones.
AFib is the most common type of irregular heartbeat. Anyone can develop AFib. More than five million people in the U.S. live with A Fib. The chance of AFib goes up with age and people are living longer. Experts think many more people will develop AFib in the coming years, she added.
2. AFib-related Strokes Are Likely More Severe
“AFib absolutely increases your risk for a stroke,” she said. “Here’s what happens with AFib and why it increases your risk of stroke:
The heartbeat quivers in an erratic way. The upper chambers of the heart (the atria) contract irregularly.
The contraction fails. Imagine wringing out a sponge. Without a good squeeze, water will still be left in the sponge. In the same way, when the heart contracts too fast or unevenly, it doesn’t completely squeeze the blood from the atria into the next chamber.
Blood pools in the atria. Blood not pumped out of the atria can remain and may pool there.
Risks of clotting increase. When blood can pool, it can form clots.
Clots can travel and cause blockages. If a blood clot forms in the atria, it can be pumped out of the heart to the brain. This can block the blood supply to an artery in the brain and cause a stroke. This type of stroke is called an embolic stroke, which is a type of ischemic stroke.”
Experts say people with AFib are about five times more likely to have a stroke. It’s important to know that not only is there a greater risk of a stroke, but AFib-related strokes are likely to be more severe than other kinds of strokes.
3. Not Everyone Has Symptoms
“Not everyone has symptoms of AFib,” Jones said. Some have no symptoms or awareness that they have AFib.
“This is why regular doctor visits are so important and why it’s important to know what’s normal for your body,” Jones added. “If something changes, ask your doctor about it.
“The most common symptom of AFib is a fluttering heart. Other symptoms include general fatigue, a rapid and irregular heartbeat, futtering or thumping in the chest, dizziness, shortness of breath and anxiety, faintness or confusion, fatigue when exercising, chest pain.”
Chest pain or pressure should be of serious concern.
“If you ever feel chest pain or pressure, please call 911 immediately,” Jones said. “You could be having a cardiac emergency and require immediate care.”
4. It Can Be Treated
Yes, there definitely are options that reduce the risk of a stroke associated with AFib.
“Treatment for AFib varies,” Jones said. “Based on the causes, the severity and the goals of treatment. It’s really important that you work with your health care provider to make sure you’re getting the right treatment and that you’re following it.
“Treatment can include medication like blood thinners, heart rate controllers and heart rhythm controllers.”
Blood thinners (anticoagulants) help reduce the risk of blood clots forming. Today, blood thinners, taken orally, are often the first choice of treatment. By delaying blood clotting, blood thinners make it hard for clots to form and prevent existing clots from growing.
If you are prescribed a blood thinner, always take it exactly as prescribed by your health care provider.
Non-surgical procedures like electoral cardioversion or ablation are also used to treat AFib, Jones added.
“Cardioversion resets a heart rhythm. In an ablation, the doctor carefully destroys malfunctioning tissue using the catheter to deliver energy (such as radiofrequency, laser or cryotherapy) to scar the problematic areas. The scarred areas will no longer send abnormal signals,” she said.
Those who can’t use blood thinners or non surgical options may need surgical procedures to treat AFib, such as implanting a pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or internal cardiac defibrillator.
5. How successful are these treatments?
Treatment can be successful; but it’s important that you work with your health care provider and stay in close touch if things don’t feel right, she said.