Healthy RGV Issue 103 - What All Men Need to Know

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · JUNE 2017
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
It's a commonplace for people to say
they’re experiencing heart palpitations
or discuss being out of breath. They’re
common phrases used in everyday
conversation, but some people when
they experience symptoms like those, the
experience can be incredibly jaw-dropping, if
not extremely frightening.
By definition,
Atrial Fibrillation is
defined as an irregular,
often rapid heart rate that
commonly causes poor blood
flow and requires immediate
medical attention when signs or
symptoms present themselves.
The problem is, this condition
may not have any outward
symptoms at all.
However, when symptoms do appear they
can include anything from heart palpitations
(feeling like your heart is beating too hard
or too fast or might be skipping a beat or
fluttering), shortness of breath, tightening in
the chest, and/or fatigue. The more extreme
pain is typically concentrated in the chest
area, but can also include dizziness, an
inability to exercise, a dull pallor (change in
skin color), weakness, lightheadedness, and
confusion.
The most common or well-known symptom
of Atrial Fibrillation is a fluttering (quivering)
heartbeat. This is due to a misfiring of
electrical impulses in the atria (the top
chambers of the heart). When the heart
quivers, that’s what’s commonly known as
fibrillating. When those symptoms occur,
most often they are accompanied by other
symptoms. In any combination, the various
symptoms together can require urgent
medical care.
Atrial fibrillation may only happen
occasionally with symptoms that come
and go, and ultimately, stop on their own.
Because they stop on their own, people often
choose to ignore the seriousness of the
issue. That makes it even more dangerous.
The prevalence of this condition has grown
greatly over the last several decades.
Approximately 11% of people over the age of
eighty are affected by Atrial fibrillation. It is
far more common in adults as they age.
In additional to the risks presented by
the aging population, the ability of the
symptoms to be masked makes it more
difficult to diagnose and, in many cases,
goes undiagnosed until they’ve had another
health scare like strokes, heart failure,
diabetes, hypertension, and blood clots.
But despite the large percentage of older
people who suffer from Atrial Fibrillation,
teens and young adults can also suffer from
symptoms. As with older adults, it can be
single experiences or isolated events or won’t
be diagnosed until there have been repeated
episodes or until they’ve been diagnosed
with other conditions. Unlike older adults, it
is very rare to be diagnosed during routine
checkups or yearly physical exams. Younger
patients are almost exclusively asymptomatic.
If you’re experiencing
any symptoms, including
chest pain, a feeling of
a very rapid heart rate
(greater than 100 beats
per minute), or any of the
above-mentioned signs
and symptoms, speak to
your doctor.
The only way to confirm whether what you’re
experiencing is actual Atrial Fibrillation, is to
visit your doctor as it can only be diagnosed
via an electrocardiogram or other diagnostic
cardiac rythm monitoring tests.
By Joaquin N Diego,
MD, FCCP, FACC
18 HEALTHY MAGAZINE