Atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation
Other namesAuricular fibrillation[1]
Electrocardiogram samples displaying atrial fibrillation in the upper recording with absence of P waves (red arrow), an erratic baseline between QRS complexes, and elevated heart rate. Bottom recording shows normal sinus rhythm with P waves (purple arrow)
SpecialtyCardiology
SymptomsNone, heart palpitations, fainting, dizziness, decreased level or total loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, chest pain[2][3]
ComplicationsHeart failure, dementia, stroke[3]
Usual onset> age 50[4]
Risk factorsHigh blood pressure, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, COPD, obesity, smoking, sleep apnea[3][5][6][7]
Diagnostic methodFeeling the pulse, electrocardiogram[8]
Differential diagnosisIrregular heartbeat[9]
TreatmentLifestyle modifications, rate control, rhythm control, anticoagulation[5]
Frequency2.5% (developed world), 0.5% (developing world)[4]
Deaths315,000 with atrial flutter (2019)[10]

Atrial fibrillation (AF, AFib or A-fib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) characterized by rapid and irregular beating of the atrial chambers of the heart.[11][12] It often begins as short periods of abnormal beating, which become longer or continuous over time.[4] It may also start as other forms of arrhythmia such as atrial flutter that then transform into AF.[13]

Episodes can be asymptomatic.[3] Symptomatic episodes may involve heart palpitations, fainting, lightheadedness, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, or chest pain.[2] Atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of heart failure, dementia, and stroke.[3][12] It is a type of supraventricular tachycardia.[14]

High blood pressure and valvular heart disease are the most common modifiable risk factors for AF.[5][6] Other heart-related risk factors include heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and congenital heart disease.[5] In low- and middle-income countries, valvular heart disease is often attributable to rheumatic fever.[15] Lung-related risk factors include COPD, obesity, and sleep apnea.[3] Cortisol and other stress biomarkers (including vasopressin, chromogranin A, and heat shock proteins), as well as emotional stress, may play a role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation.[16]

Other risk factors include excess alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, diabetes mellitus, and thyrotoxicosis.[3][7][15] However, about half of cases are not associated with any of these aforementioned risks.[3] Moreover, thyrotoxicosis seems to be an especially rare risk factor.[17] Healthcare professionals might suspect AF after feeling the pulse and confirm the diagnosis by interpreting an electrocardiogram (ECG).[8] A typical ECG in AF shows irregularly spaced QRS complexes without P waves.[8]

Healthy lifestyle changes, such as weight loss in people with obesity, increased physical activity, and drinking less alcohol, can lower the risk for AF and reduce its burden if it occurs.[18] AF is often treated with medications to slow the heart rate to a near-normal range (known as rate control) or to convert the rhythm to normal sinus rhythm (known as rhythm control).[5] Electrical cardioversion can convert AF to normal heart rhythm and is often necessary for emergency use if the person is unstable.[19] Ablation may prevent recurrence in some people.[20] For those at low risk of stroke, AF does not necessarily require blood-thinning though some healthcare providers may prescribe aspirin or an anti-clotting medication.[21] Most people with AF are at higher risk of stroke.[22]For those at more than low risk, experts generally recommend an anti-clotting medication.[21] Anti-clotting medications include warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants.[21] While these medications reduce stroke risk, they increase rates of major bleeding.[23]

Atrial fibrillation is the most common serious abnormal heart rhythm and, as of 2020, affects more than 33 million people worldwide.[3][18] As of 2014, it affected about 2 to 3% of the population of Europe and North America.[4] This was an increase from 0.4 to 1% of the population around 2005.[24] In the developing world, about 0.6% of males and 0.4% of females are affected.[4] The percentage of people with AF increases with age with 0.1% under 50 years old, 4% between 60 and 70 years old, and 14% over 80 years old being affected.[4] A-fib and atrial flutter resulted in 193,300 deaths in 2015, up from 29,000 in 1990.[25][26] The first known report of an irregular pulse was by Jean-Baptiste de Sénac in 1749.[3] Thomas Lewis was the first doctor to document this by ECG in 1909.[3]

  1. ^ "Atrial fibrillation or flutter: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b Gray D (2010). Chamberlain's Symptoms and Signs in Clinical Medicine: An Introduction to Medical Diagnosis (13th ed.). London: Hodder Arnold. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-0-340-97425-4.
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  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Staerk2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c Ferguson C, Inglis SC, Newton PJ, Middleton S, Macdonald PS, Davidson PM (May 2014). "Atrial fibrillation: stroke prevention in focus". Australian Critical Care. 27 (2): 92–98. doi:10.1016/j.aucc.2013.08.002. PMID 24054541.
  9. ^ Hui D, Leung AA, Padwal R (2015). Approach to Internal Medicine: A Resource Book for Clinical Practice. Springer. p. 45. ISBN 978-3-319-11821-5. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
  10. ^ Li X, Liu Z, Jiang X, Xia R, Li Y, Pan X, et al. (November 2023). "Global, regional, and national burdens of atrial fibrillation/flutter from 1990 to 2019: An age-period-cohort analysis using the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study". Journal of Global Health. 13: 04154. doi:10.7189/jogh.13.04154. PMC 10662782. PMID 37988383.
  11. ^ "Heart Disease Other Related Conditions". cdc.gov. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Bun SS, Latcu DG, Marchlinski F, Saoudi N (September 2015). "Atrial flutter: more than just one of a kind". European Heart Journal. 36 (35). Oxford University Press (OUP): 2356–2363. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehv118. PMID 25838435.
  14. ^ Richard D. Urman, Linda S. Aglio, Robert W. Lekowski, eds. (2015). Essential clinical anesthesia review: keywords, questions and answers for the boards. Cambridge University Press. p. 480. ISBN 978-1-107-68130-9. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
  15. ^ a b Mischke K, Knackstedt C, Marx N, Vollmann D (April 2013). "Insights into atrial fibrillation". Minerva Medica. 104 (2): 119–130. PMID 23514988.
  16. ^ Rafaqat S, Rafaqat S, Rafaqat S (February 2023). "The Role of Major Biomarkers of Stress in Atrial Fibrillation: A Literature Review". The Journal of Innovations in Cardiac Rhythm Management. 14 (2): 5355–5364. doi:10.19102/icrm.2023.14025. PMC 9983621. PMID 36874560.
  17. ^ Hytting J, Celik S, Bodestrom Eriksson L, Mallios P, Digerfeldt C, Waldemar A, et al. (2024). "Is thyroid function testing necessary in all cases of new onset atrial fibrillation diagnosed in the emergency department? - a real-life study". Europace. 26. doi:10.1093/europace/euae102.254. PMC 11120881. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b Chung MK, Eckhardt LL, Chen LY, Ahmed HM, Gopinathannair R, Joglar JA, et al. (April 2020). "Lifestyle and Risk Factor Modification for Reduction of Atrial Fibrillation: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association". Circulation. 141 (16): e750–e772. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000748. PMID 32148086.
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