Occasional Afib Flutter
You need to reduce stroke risk if you want to have the best atrial fibrillation prognosis. But with the right treatment plan, you can live a long healthy life with Afib.
Find the truth about questions that pique your curiosity in our series, “The Short Answer.” Cardiology researcher David Van Wagoner, PhD, answers this one about atrial fibrillation. Atrial flutter is less common than atrial fibrillation, but epidemiology is less well studied. It is one tenth as common as atrial fibrillation. It is the second most common arrhythmia after atrial fibrillation. Atrial flutter is commonly associated with atrial fibrillation. On presentation the two often alternate.
With occasional atrial fibrillation, the arrhythmia comes and goes, so ask your doctor about traveling. This type of atrial fibrillation may be triggered by binge drinking (drinking a lot of alcohol in a short period of time), ingesting too much caffeine, taking a decongestant for a cold or sinusitis, emotional stress or other cause. Atrial flutter is a macro-reentrant tachycardia and can be classed as typical or atypical atrial flutter depending upon the origin. Flutter waves are seen on ECG. Like atrial fibrillation, it can be paroxysmal or persistent. In typical atrial flutter the rhythm has its origin in the right atrium at the level of the tricuspid valve.
When doctors use the word 'prognosis,' they’re talking about your health outcome. So, your atrial fibrillation prognosis is a prediction of how well you will be able to live with and manage your condition. The answer for most people with atrial fibrillation? You should be able to live an active, normal life. However, there's a significant risk that can get in the way of that.
The biggest threat to a good prognosis with atrial fibrillation — or Afib — is having a stroke, and Afib increases your stroke risk considerably. Stroke is more likely to occur when you have atrial fibrillation because the upper chambers of the heart are beating very quickly and irregularly, and a clot can form in the upper chambers, break free, and travel to the brain. 'The most important issue in atrial fibrillation is to reduce stroke risk,' says John A. Scherschel, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Stroke Risk Factors for Atrial Fibrillation
Afib Flutter Cure
Your atrial fibrillation prognosis depends on many variables, including your age, the type of Afib you have, how you respond to treatment, and other medical conditions you have. The symptoms of atrial fibrillation can last for a few hours, a few days, or be permanent. If you have persistent or permanent Afib, you may need more aggressive treatment.
When it comes to stroke prevention, your doctor will want to know about your stroke risk factors — things that increase your chance of having a stroke with atrial fibrillation. They include:
Difference Between Atrial Flutter And Afib
- Being older than 75
- Having congestive heart failure
- Having high blood pressure
- Having diabetes
- Having already had a stroke
The more of these risk factors you have, the greater your risk for stroke. Your doctor may use a scoring system for stroke risk: If you have no risk factors, your score is zero, meaning you have a stroke risk of less than 2 percent; if you have all the risk factors, your stroke risk could be close to 20 percent.
'The common way we reduce the risk of stroke is with anticoagulants, or blood thinners,' says Dr. Scherschel. Depending on your stroke risk factors, your unique treatment plan for stroke reduction may include lifestyle changes, aspirin, anticoagulants, or surgery. Be sure to check in with your doctor regularly to make sure that your treatment plan is working the way that it should to help prevent stroke and improve your atrial fibrillation prognosis.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Afib Prognosis
No matter what treatment plan you and your doctor decide on to reduce your stroke risk and improve your atrial fibrillation prognosis, there are other important steps that you can take:
- Work with your doctor to manage controllable risk factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- Keep all your medical appointments and check in with your doctor if there are any changes in your symptoms.
- Check with your doctor before taking over-the-counter medications, especially herbal supplements and cold or flu medications that could have cardiovascular side effects.
- Eat a healthy diet that avoids saturated fat, limits salt, and includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Get exercise on a regular basis.
- Only drink alcohol in moderation.
- Don't smoke.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common abnormal heart rhythm among U.S. residents. But with the right treatment plan for Afib, you can live a long and healthy life. Working with your doctor to reduce stroke risk is the most important thing you can do to make sure you have a good prognosis with atrial fibrillation.
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Arrhythmias are abnormal heartbeats. They happen when the electrical impulses that control heartbeats don’t react like they normally should. It may cause the heart to beat too quickly or too slowly. Most arrhythmias are harmless like the occasional heart flutter. They are only considered an issue when they interfere with your quality of life.
If they cause fatigue, dizziness, or chest pain then they may be life threatening. This could mean the heart is pumping less efficiently and your blood isn’t flowing properly. This could result in damage to the brain, heart, or other organs. Sometimes they can even result in sudden death.
What is AFIB?
Atrial Fibrillation (Afib) is a type of arrhythmia, it produces an irregular or rapid heartbeat. At this time the atria will quiver or fibrillate. The atria is the upper two chambers of the heart that receive blood. During the time of this rapid or irregular heartbeat, blood cannot be pumped out of the heart efficiently. Because of this, blood tends to pool creating a blood clot risk within the heart. If a blood clot should form it can travel throughout the bloodstream and get lodged in an artery causing a stroke or embolism.
Afib doesn’t always come with symptoms. But if symptoms do occur they are fainting, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath and angina. People that suffer from AFIB can have regular periods of normal heartbeats. The causes of AFIB is usually age, heart disease, diabetes, and an excess of thyroid hormones. AFIB can be diagnosed using an ECG or Doctors usually prefer an ECG because the patient can carry it with them for an extended period of time. This is a better practice since AFIB tends to come and go. AFIB can be treated with medicine based on how you got it, but sometimes surgery is required.
What is Tachycardia?
Tachycardia is an arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat too rapidly at 100 beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats a minute. Tachycardia occurs when the heart produces rapid electrical signals in the upper or lower chambers of the heart. It can be considered benign at times but sometimes it is extremely dangerous. When the heart is beating too rapidly less blood is flowing through the body including the heart itself.
Tachycardia causes no symptoms or complications at times. But sometimes it can be the sign of a serious disruption in heart function. It can increase the risk of stroke, cause a cardiac arrest, and sometimes even death. There are treatments that can treat tachycardia. Sometimes if it is just caused by having a fever you can take a Tylenol and be on your way.
Both can be considered either benign or life threatening arrhythmias. If you show any symptoms of either one you should get to a doctor.