Symptoms of Afib
Some people have symptoms, and some don’t. It depends on how fast your ventricles are beating. If they’re beating at a normal or slightly elevated pace, you probably won’t feel anything. But if your ventricles beat faster, you’ll start to notice symptoms. These can include:
- Extremefatigue.
- An irregular heartbeat.
- Heart palpitations.
- A feeling of butterflies or a fish flopping in your chest.
- Dizzinessor lightheadedness.
- Fainting (syncope).
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea).
- Chest pain (angina).
If you have atrial fibrillation symptoms, keep a list of when they happen and share this information with your healthcare provider right away.
What causes Afib?
Changes or damage to your heart’s tissue and electrical system cause atrial fibrillation. Usually,coronary artery disease,high blood pressure or heart failure cancause these changes. Other causes include heart valve issues, hyperthyroidism or excessive alcohol use. Sometimes, when your body is sick for other reasons (like blood loss or severe infection), the stress response from the illness can cause Afib.
Often, a prematurely triggered heartbeat (which feels like a skipped beat) causes atrial fibrillation to begin. These are more common in the conditions above. But sometimes, it’s hard to know the cause of that triggered heartbeat. For some people, there’s no identifiable cause.
What are the risk factors?
While atrial fibrillation can affect anyone, it’s more common among people of European descent. But Black people who have Afib are more likely to have serious complications like stroke or heart failure. People assigned female at birth (AFAB) get a diagnosis more often than people assigned male at birth (AMAB).
Afib often runs in families. If someone in your biological family has Afib, you have a higher chance of developing it, too.
The older you get, the greater your risk for atrial fibrillation. At 65 years old, your risk especially increases. Besides increasing age, high blood pressure is a huge risk factor. High blood pressure causes 1 in 5 cases of Afib. You also have a higher risk of developing Afib if you have any of the following conditions:
- Obesity.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Chronic kidney disease.
- Heart failure.
- Coronary artery disease.
- Congenital heart disease.
- Lung diseases, likechronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Sleep apnea.
- Hyperthyroidism.
In addition, using tobacco products, recreational drugs or beverages containing alcohol can raise your risk.
While physical activity strengthens your heart, some athletes who exercise intensely for long periods of time could have a higher risk of Afib. In those rare cases, reducing the intensity of activity usually helps.
An estimated 1 in 3 people with Afib doesn’t know they have it. That’s why it’s important to know the risk factors and talk with your healthcare provider. If you’re at risk, you should have your heart and pulse checked regularly so you can catch problems early.
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What are the complications of Afib?
Atrial fibrillation can cause serious medical complications. So, it’s essential to learn the warning signs and to share them with your family and friends. In many cases, you need someone else to call 911.Immediately call 911 (or your local emergency services)if you have the following symptoms or if you notice them in someone around you:
- Heart attack: While it’s not common for Afib to lead to a heart attack, it’s still important to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack. Pain, discomfort or pressure in the center of your chest or upper abdomen, a feeling of squeezing, fullness,heartburnorindigestion or pain down your left arm. People assigned female at birth may also have pain in their back, shoulders or jaw, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath or excessive tiredness.
- Stroke: Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of your body, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding others, difficulty seeing in one or both of your eyes, trouble walking, dizziness or sudden headache for no reason. Learn how to recognize these symptomsin yourself or others so you can act quickly. Every minute counts.
- Bleeding in your brain,digestive system orurinary tract: Bright red blood in your vomit, stool (poop) or urine (pee), severe pain in your head or abdomen, memory loss, drastic vision changes or difficulty moving your legs or arms. Many people with Afib need to take blood-thinning medications to lower the risk of Afib-related stroke. This medication is essential. But these medications can make it more difficult for active bleeding to stop.
- Heart failure: The rapid, disorganized rhythm of Afib can make it harder for your heart to pump blood forward. As a result, blood flow becomes congested as your lungs can’t drain blood forward to your heart. This can lead to some people feeling short of breath and winded when they’re in Afib. Over time, some people may see belly bloating and leg swelling. Breathing can also be more difficult when trying to lie down to sleep.
- Cardiac arrest/fainting: In certain people, Afib can lead to lightheadedness and fainting. The heart resumes beating after most cases of fainting, and people will often recover consciousness soon after they faint. In rare cases, your heart fails to pump blood to the rest of your body after you faint, and you don’t regain consciousness. This situation is called a cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is unpredictable, but chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting or dizziness might happen within an hour before having a cardiac arrest. In some cases, these symptoms might not appear at all, and you could simply faint.
If you or a loved one has Afib, it’s a good idea to talk with your healthcare provider about how to get help in medical emergencies. For those who live alone or spend lots of time alone, medical alert devices may be a life-saving resource.
