Causes, Risks, and Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation

Abnormal Heart Rate

The fast and abnormal heart rate caused by the atria or upper chambers of the heart is known as atrial fibrillation. This irregular rhythm of the heart causes the heart to experience electric signals that are chaotic and unharmonized.

When this happens, the two upper heart chambers are out of synchronization with the lower chambers, which results in the heartbeat being unsystematic and speedy. The healthy heartbeat, on average, ranges between 60 to 100 beats every minute, while during atrial fibrillation, the rate lies between 100 to 175 beats every minute.

The primary health indicators that show one might be suffering from atrial fibrillation are dizziness, fatigue, a thumping or fluttering feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, sweating, chest pains, and fast heart rhythm.

If you experience severe chest pain in Plano, you should consider it a medical emergency and immediately dial 9-1-1. The pressure or pain in your chest might be an onset of a heart attack or atrial fibrillation.

How Atrial Fibrillation Occurs

There are four chambers in your heart, two upper ones known as atria and two lower ones known as ventricles. The sinus node, which is made up of cells, is situated on the right atrium, and it acts as the heart’s pacemaker.

The sinus node naturally regulates the heart’s pace by producing a signal which triggers every single heartbeat. In a healthy heart, the signal passes through the right and left atria then passes to the ventricles through the atrioventricular node.

When the signal passes, it makes the heart contract and in the process, sends blood to other parts of the heart and the rest of the body organs. When atrial fibrillation occurs the signals in the atria are unsystematic, and they cause palpitations in the heart; as a result, the atrioventricular node is flooded with unsynchronized impulses that want to pass to the ventricles.

Causes of Atrial Fibrillation

The main causes of atrial fibrillation are damage or abnormalities in the structure of the heart. Some of the things that might trigger atrial fibrillation include heart attacks, respiratory illnesses, heart surgery, infections that are viral, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, the stress associated with respiratory illnesses or surgery, sick sinus syndrome, metabolic imbalances, and congenital heart defects.

It is, however, important to note that not all forms of atrial fibrillation are considered as heart defects or life-threatening. Some types of atrial fibrillation like the lone atrial fibrillation are mild hence rarely result in serious complications, and the causes are ambiguous.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors increase the chances of an individual getting atrial fibrillation like the age of an individual, other existing heart diseases or defects, high blood pressure, obesity, intake of alcohol, and other chronic illnesses.

Preventative Measures

There are safety measures that you can take to avoid or lessen the chances of getting atrial fibrillation. Exercising a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the chance of suffering from any heart defects or diseases like atrial fibrillation and peripheral artery disease in Frisco and Plano, TX.

These preventative measures include being physically fit, regular exercise, intake of a heart-healthy diet, limiting the intake of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, cautiously taking over the counter drugs, and avoiding extreme emotions like anger or stress as they can trigger irregular heart rhythms.