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 AF Risk Factors
AF Symptoms
AF Treatment
More than two million people in the United States suffer from atrial fibrillation (also known as AFib or AF), reports the American Heart Association. There are more than 300,000 new cases of atrial fibrillation diagnosed each year. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of irregular heartbeat, affecting both men and women and showing an increasing prevalence with age. Approximately 3 to 5 percent of people over the age of 65 suffer from atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia) that usually involves a rapid heart rate in which the upper heart chambers (atria) are stimulated to contract in a very disorganized and abnormal manner, which disrupts the heart’s ability to pump blood. The condition can be caused by impulses which are transmitted to the ventricles in an irregular fashion or by some impulses failing to be transmitted. This makes the ventricles beat irregularly, which leads to an irregular (and usually fast) pulse in atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke fivefold, and is a major contributor to the development of congestive heart failure as well as more serious, life-threatening arrhythmias. However, atrial fibrillation is controllable with proper treatment.
Atrial Fibrillation Risk Factors
Underlying risk factors and causes of atrial fibrillation / arrhythmias include dysfunction of the sinus node but also may be caused by the following.
Also, avoid binge drinking and follow your doctor’s recommendations for treating underlying conditions.
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Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms
- Sensation of feeling heart beat (heart palpitations)
- Pulse may feel rapid, racing, pounding, fluttering or it can feel too slow
- Pulse may feel regular or irregular
- Dizziness, light-headedness
- Fainting
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Breathing difficulty, lying down
- Sensation of tightness or pain in the chest
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Atrial Fibrillation Treatment 
The University of Tennessee Medical Center is the only hospital in East Tennessee to offer the Mini-Maze Procedure, a revolutionary new type of minimally invasive surgery that brings hope to atrial fibrillation patients for whom no reasonable cure existed.
Until recently, there have been few treatments for atrial fibrillation. In some cases, atrial fibrillation may need to be treated with emergency treatment to convert the arrhythmia to normal (sinus) rhythm. Atrial fibrillation accounts for approximately one-third of hospital admissions due to arrhythmias.
The most common treatment for atrial fibrillation, however, is anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners), which do not address the abnormal heart beat but instead are used to prevent the formation of blood clots. Other treatments include catheter-based procedures and various surgeries, which are available but are difficult to perform while carrying increased risks.
Follow your doctor’s recommendations for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other underlying disorders.
Make an appointment with a doctor today by calling 1.877.UT.CARES (1.877.882.2737).
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