Atrial fibrillation is dangerous, it leads to strokes

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the elderly. Every fifth patient who is admitted to the Second Cardiology Department of “UMBAL-Plovdiv” has a different form of atrial fibrillation – acute or chronic, said Dr. Vasil Vasilev.

According to him, most patients are men, and its frequency increases with age, as are the trends worldwide. Associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM), sleep apnea, obesity, hypertension, COPD and others are at an increased risk for its occurrence.

In some patients, atrial fibrillation occurs without symptoms. Others complain of fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pressure, and in some cases, loss of consciousness.

This type of arrhythmia is associated with many complications that impair the quality of life of those affected. The most common of these is ischemic stroke, with 20 to 30% of ischemic strokes being due to atrial fibrillation.

Another very serious problem is the increased death rate between one and a half and three times for these patients, the doctor pointed out. He explained that this is due to comorbidity – development of stroke, heart failure, which is observed in about 20-30%. Patients experience cognitive impairments that are related to memory, language, logical thinking, attention, perception, imagination, decision-making ability, and more. Some of them also suffer from depression.

In the presence of symptoms, the cardiologist orders a simple ECG and diagnoses atrial fibrillation. At the doctor’s discretion, a Holter ECG can be done – long-term ECG recording, ECG recording on smartphones or watches, as well as telemetry recording. Many times, however, the disease is registered accidentally during an examination or after a complication has already occurred.

Treatment of atrial fibrillation depends on its duration. If it is started before the 48th hour from the onset of the attack, recovery of the rhythm is achieved. Usually, an infusion of medication or electrocardioversion – recovery with the help of electric current – is done.

If there is a statute of limitations of more than 48 hours, then the attending cardiologist evaluates the behavior and treatment strategy. It is possible to restore the rhythm after special preparation and about a month’s intake of an anticoagulant. In some cases, the treating cardiologist may decide to let the patient live with this arrhythmia, but of course under strict control and regular examinations.

The prevention of strokes is of particular importance for the treatment, and this is carried out through medications called anticoagulants – preparations that thin the blood. The dose is determined by the attending physician based on the patient’s condition.

According to Dr. Vasilev, atrial fibrillation is no more harmless than heart attacks, but patients are less informed about it and often underestimate this risky diagnosis.