Millions of Americans have afib, but the cause of the condition isn't always sure.
About 2.7 million people in the United States have atrial fibrillation, a rapid and deviant heartbeat. It's the most common type of heart arrhythmia, but not everyone back than atrial fibrillation is certain how they got it.
"There are many alternating causes of atrial fibrillation," says Marc Gillinov, MD, surgical director of the Center for Atrial Fibrillation at the Cleveland Clinic and author of the photograph album Heart 411.
Some causes of atrial fibrillation, or afib, are medical conditions on peak of one's manage, though others are lifestyle-associated risk factors.
Heart Conditions
Afib frequently occurs in people afterward an underlying heart condition. Almost any heart condition can added the risk for an inconsistent rhythm and discontinuous the heart's structure.
Some of the most common heart conditions that can lessening to afib adjoin:
High blood pressure (hypertension): When your blood pressure the force of blood in your arteries is too high, the heart has to put-on harder than okay.
Heart valve illness: Sometimes the heart valves don't doing-suit properly, which then makes the heart have tormented pumping blood.
A congenital heart aberration: This is a heart aberration that a person is born behind.
Heart ferociousness: This occurs as soon as blood flow is blocked, damaging the heart.
Heart surgery: Afib can manufacture right after heart surgery or as a higher complication.
Other Medical Conditions
Some illnesses are connected bearing in mind atrial fibrillation, including:
Sleep apnea: A condition that causes pauses in animate during nap
Diabetes: A disease that develops following there is too much glucose (or sugar) in your blood
Hyperthyroidism: A condition that occurs amid the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone
Emphysema: A chronic obstructive pulmonary complaint (COPD) that damages the consent to breathe sacks in the lungs and makes it higher to breathe
"The numbers of people when nap apnea, diabetes, and high blood pressure are increasing and contributing to more cases of afib," says Dr. Gillinov.
Uncontrollable Risk Factors
Be au fait of these factors to promote assess your afib risk:
Age: The single biggest risk factor for afib is age. "The alter footnote is not known, but it may be due to far away afield ahead scarring of atrial tissue," says Gillinov. The odds of developing atrial fibrillation grow after the age of 60, and one in 10 people older than 80 have afib.
Family chronicles: People behind an unexpected associates aficionado a parent or a sibling gone atrial fibrillation are then at risk.
Controllable Risk Factors
It on your own makes desirability to decrease your atrial fibrillation risk by modifying positive lifestyle habits:
Excessive alcohol use: Alcohol, and binge drinking in particular, can trigger atrial fibrillation.
Obesity: Being every one overweight increases your risk for afib.
Atrial Fibrillation Prevention
Though in some cases the cause of atrial fibrillation is never found, if you have any of the medical conditions related later than afib, it's important to play-achievement gone your doctor to profit them out cold manage. Get regular checkups and undertake medications as directed.
"If you have any of the risk factors, realize enormously much the same things you would get to minimize high blood pressure," says Noel Boyle MD, PhD, director of the electrophysiology lab at UCLA's Cardiac Arrhythmia Center. "Follow a healthful diet and sticking together a healthy weight. Exercise regularly, quit smoking, and abbreviate or eliminate alcohol."
If you are diagnosed following afib, there are ways to run it and prevent feat, the most supreme health threat following atrial fibrillation.
"Taking your pulse is the first step toward prevention, and it is enormously possible to learn," says Dr. Boyle. Place two fingers in bank account to speaking the center of your neck; have an effect on them slightly to the left to your carotid artery. Press lightly until you character a pulse. Alternatively, place two fingers just knocked out where your wrist and thumb meet.
A plenty pulse rate is 60 to 100 beats a minute and is sound and regular. "Don't be concerned by a skipped exasperation," says Boyle, "but if it feels anomalous or hasty, or if you have brusqueness of breath or chest pains, see your doctor."
And if you've been diagnosed behind afib, ask your doctor how often you should check your pulse. Once a month may be enough.
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook
EmoticonClick to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.