The most common cardiac arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation. It often occurs with coronary heart disease and high blood pressure and causes an increased risk of stroke. Effective treatment of the underlying disease is therefore important. Attempts must also be made to restore the normal heart rhythm. At the same time, a stroke must be prevented in a targeted manner.
The most common and probably also the most medically significant cardiac arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation , also abbreviated as “AF” or “AFib” from English and for ” atrial fibrillation “.” stands. The disorder originates in the auricles, with the so-called sinus node located in the right atrium, a region that largely controls the heart rhythm. In atrial fibrillation, the heartbeat control is abolished by the sinus node disturb the heartbeat and lead to uncoordinated movements of the heart atria, atrial fibrillation. The electrical impulses are so frequent that they can trigger 300 to 600 beats in the atria per minute. Thanks to the filter function of a second “control center” for the heart rhythm, the so-called AV node, but usually only a small part of the atrial stimuli is transferred to the ventricles.
According to estimates, around one million people are currently affected in Germany. However, this number is constantly increasing and experts assume that in around 40 years around 2.5 million people in this country will suffer from atrial fibrillation. Because the risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation increases with age. The increasing life expectancy and the resulting increase in the number of older people inevitably result in a further increase in the number of people with atrial fibrillation.
Often massive impairment of quality of life
Atrial fibrillation is a treacherous disease: A study shows that 70 percent of all episodes of atrial fibrillation do not cause any symptoms. “Examination programs for the early detection of at-risk population groups, i.e. people over 50 years of age, especially those with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or heart muscle weakness, are therefore an important task for the future,” explains Professor Günter Breithardt, spokesman for the Competence Network for Atrial Fibrillation.
While some of the patients feel practically nothing of the cardiac arrhythmia, others suffer from repeated severe symptoms such as palpitations, palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, feelings of anxiety, sweating, dizziness, tiredness or drowsiness. The quality of life of those affected is significantly impaired by the symptoms, but also by the necessary treatment and the sometimes repeated hospital admissions. Above all, heart palpitations and heart palpitations cause anxiety and the feeling of a health threat. In addition, there are limitations in physical performance and mental tension develops, which in turn can worsen the atrial fibrillation. Numerous sufferers develop a kind of avoidance behavior and try to
Increased risk of heart failure and stroke
Apart from that, atrial fibrillation has significant other health consequences and often occurs together with other heart diseases. They can be the cause of the arrhythmia or their consequence. Existing cardiac muscle weakness (cardiac insufficiency) can promote atrial fibrillation. This, on the other hand, can exacerbate heart failure. There are similar connections with other diseases such as high blood pressure, heart valve defects and coronary heart disease.
However, the greatest danger to patients is a significantly increased risk of suffering a stroke, especially since strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation are often particularly severe. Permanent disabilities such as paralysis on one side of the body, walking disorders, sensory disturbances, coordination difficulties, speech and language disorders, visual disturbances, swallowing disorders and impairments in mental performance and even the death of the patient can be the result.
Atrial fibrillation: Different forms of the disease
Doctors differentiate between three forms of atrial fibrillation:
- Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: Here there are repeated episodes of atrial fibrillation that resolve on their own within seven days.
- Persistent atrial fibrillation: Atrial fibrillation lasts longer than seven days but can be stopped with treatment (cardioversion or rate control).
- Permanent atrial fibrillation: The atrial fibrillation persists despite cardioversion.
The individual forms of atrial fibrillation are not mutually exclusive. A patient may experience repeated paroxysmal and occasionally persistent atrial fibrillation.
Appeal for consistent treatment of atrial fibrillation
The considerable health impairments and the high risk of stroke explain the appeals of the experts not to take atrial fibrillation lightly, but rather to take it seriously as a serious illness that requires adequate treatment.
The therapy takes place on two levels: On the one hand, an attempt can be made to normalize the heart rhythm with medication or electrical stimulation (cardioversion), i.e. to ensure that the normal heart rhythm is restored and maintained (rhythm control). Another option is to lower your heart rate and keep it low (rate control). The main result of the treatment is that the patient in question has fewer symptoms and his quality of life is improved again.
High risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation
The second level of treatment concerns the risk of complications arising from atrial fibrillation, primarily the risk of stroke. It is based on small blood clots (thrombi) that can form as a result of the arrhythmia in the atrium of the heart. From there they can get into the brain, block a blood vessel there and thus trigger a stroke. Preventive treatment is therefore necessary in the majority of patients. It depends on the individual situation and can only be decided by the attending physician whether it is best to use drugs that inhibit the aggregation of blood platelets (thrombocyte aggregation inhibitors) or active ingredients that reduce the blood’s ability to clot and thus counteract thrombus formation (anticoagulants). will.