Overview of Atrial Fibrillation
What is it?
Atrial Fibrillation, also known as AF, is an issue where the heart beats irregularly.
This is also known as an arrhythmia, which is where your heart has an abnormal rhythm.
AF happens when the atria (the upper two chambers of your heart) begin to fibrillate, also known as quivering. This fibrillation in your heart will stop it from beating in a normal rhythm.
As mentioned earlier, because the heart is beating irregularly, the flow of your blood will also be irregular. This is a risk factor for blood clots to form, increasing your risk of conditions such as stroke.
Different Types of Atrial Fibrillation
- A one-off event of AF, such as an irregular beat or episode, typically induced after consuming excess alcohol
- Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (PAF): a type of AF where the heart is likely to have regular episodes of irregular rhythm,typically for short durations.
- Chronic Atrial Fibrillation: this is where the heart permanently has an irregular heart beat.
Causes
There are many known causes for AF, typically around a disease or event which has an impact on the heart.
Some of the known causes of AF are listed below, however, it is important to know sometimes no cause can be found for AF:
- Heart Failure, a condition where the heart’s pumping function is impaired
- Valvular diseases in the heart, where the flow of blood in the heart can be interrupted
- Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure
- Surgery on your chest, such as bypass surgery
- Sleep apnoea
- Certain medications
- Obesity
- Illnesses such as pneumonia
- Over-exercising
- Increased consumption of social drugs such as alcohol
- Hyperthyroidism (your thyroid gland is overactive)
Statistics
- Between the years of 2014-15, there were 58,608 admissions to hospital in Australia for Atrial Fibrillation, with similar rates for both Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islanders as well as other Australians.
- Often people with AF will also have conditions such as Heart Failure, as both conditions share not only similar risk factors but can also cause each other and make each condition worse.
- it is estimated that between 10-30% of the population with AF are not diagnosed
- Around 3.73 women are lost per day to AF in Australia, in comparison to 2.14 per day for men.
- Women made up around 63% of the total Australians who died in 2017 of a cardiac arrhythmia such as AF.
- Women tend to have a lower quality of life when diagnosed with AF in comparison to men, however more research needs to be done to determine if this is due to the condition or simply for being female
Symptoms
Signs and Symptoms
Sometimes, arrhythmias such as AF may present with no symptoms at all.
There are two different types of symptoms for AF; typical and atypical.
Women are more likely to present with atypical symptoms, as well as presenting after a longer duration of symptoms.
Typical symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Palpitations
- Dizziness
Atypical symptoms:
- Weakness
- Fatigue
Prevention and Support
Follow the links below to find out more about how you can stop and support loved ones with AF
Prevention
Recovery & Support
Carers
FAQs
What you need to know
AF tends to have a more serious affect for women, taking more lives of women in Australia than men. Furthermore, women with AF tend to have a worse quality of life than men who also suffer from AF.
It is likely with AF that you can continue to lead a normal life. Long-term implications of AF will depend on your type of AF and how you respond to treatment. Some women can manage their AF just with medications, some women may require procedures to treat and manage their AF. Your doctor can discuss your options with you about how to treat and manage your AF.
There are support groups available for people living with AF.
The Australian arm of the AF Association has contact details for a support group:
https://heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/uk/patients/support-groups
The international hub for the heart Rhythm Alliance:
