Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a disorder of the upper two chambers of the heart causing irregular heart rhythm.

Causes

• Heart attack
• Diabetes
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Hyperthyroid
• Sick sinus syndrome
• Pneumonia
• Heart defects
• Certain lung diseases
• Severe stress
• Severe infection
• Excessive alcohol use
• Excessive caffeine use
• Heart surgery
• Sleep apnea

Symptoms
Atrial fibrillation is mostly asymptomatic but sometimes it can have the following symptoms:

• Palpitation
• Chest pain
• Breathing difficulty
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Treatment

• Medications are used to slow down rapid heart rate associated with AF.
• Electrical cardioversion may be used to restore normal heart rhythm with an electric shock, when medication doesn't improve symptoms.
• Radiofrequency ablation may be effective in some patients when medications don't work.
•  Surgery can be used to disrupt electrical pathways that generate AF.
• Atrial pacemakers can be implanted under the skin to regulate the heart rhythm.