November 15-21 is Global Atrial Fibrillation Aware Week, hosted by the AF Association.
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder and is a leading cause of stroke.
It is also linked to heart failure, depression, dementia and poor quality of life.
This year, the campaign is focused on the theme: “No More Time to Lose” to address the impact of the pandemic on people with, or at risk of, AF.
Professor Dhiraj Gupta, Consultant Electrophysiologist from the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, medical advisor to AF Association, said: “In our hospital, we have seen a marked decrease in the number of ablation procedures due the pandemic.
“I fully support the 2021 Global AF Aware week campaign to help us restore our services and make up for lost time.”
What is AF?
AF causes the heart to beat irregularly and abnormally fast.
Other symptoms of AF include fatigue, chest pain and breathlessness.
A normal resting heart beat is 60-100 beats per minute (BPM). In cases of AF, the heart can have a considerably faster BPM.
If the heart doesn’t empty itself of blood at each beat, a clot can form. There is then a risk that the clot will move to the brain, causing a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke).
People with AF are five times more likely than the rest of the population to have a stroke.
AF contributes to around a fifth of strokes in the UK, according to the Stroke Association.
The four main types of AF are:
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
This brief ‘paroxysm’ of AF can pass without symptoms or they can be felt strongly. The condition usually stops within 24 hours but can happen repeatedly.
Persistent atrial fibrillation
This is where the abnormal heart rhythm lasts for more than a week. It may stop on its own but will likely need treatment
Long-term persistent atrial fibrillation
The AF lasts for more than a year
Permanent atrial fibrillation
In some cases, the AF won’t go away, even with different treatments.
Treatment
There are various types of medication that can make the heart beat more slowly. Patients may have to try different ones to find the one that works.
Your blood pressure and heart rate will be regularly checked by your doctor.
You may also be offered either medication or cardioversion therapy to make your heart beat more regularly.
Reducing stroke risk
Your doctor may recommend that you take anticoagulant medication if you are at a high risk of stroke.
These drugs include apixaban, dabigatran etexilate, edoxaban, rivaroxaban and warfarin.
Did you know?*
- Sometimes AF presents no symptoms at all which is why it is important to check your pulse regularly
- 500,000 people in the UK have undiagnosed AF
- In the UK, someone suffers from an AF-related stroke every 15 seconds
- From the age of 40, we all have a 25 per cent chance of developing AF
*Source: AF Association
