Atrial Fibrillation: Should I Worry About Heart Palpitation? How Do I Treat It?

We have often heard people say ‘my heart skipped a beat' when someone is nervous, excited, or surprised. But a fluttery heartbeat could also be a sign of heart rhythm abnormality, medically known as arrhythmia. Heart arrhythmias are irregular heartbeats when the heart beats too fast, too slowly, or in an inconsistent pattern. 

Blood travels through the heart as it contracts, and atrial fibrillation, commonly known as AFib, is an arrhythmia that occurs when the electrical signal that regulates this process is out of balance. AFib is the most common sustained arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice worldwide having a significant public health impact.  

There are various types of AFib, short term as well as chronic and persistent. AFib could follow a bout of heavy drinking, sometimes it is also induced by extreme stress, persistent AFib is more common in older people, those with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, COPD, smoking, sleep apnea, overactive thyroid gland, etc. AFib could also be genetic. AFib raises the risk of complications like blood clots and strokes.

The symptoms of an AFib-related heart condition include palpitations or fluttering in the chest, weariness, fatigue, light-headedness, chest pressure or pain, and shortness of breath. When these symptoms persist for longer than 24 hours one should immediately seek medical advice. AFib can occasionally go unnoticed and does not indicate any symptoms, but if someone is at risk, they should talk to their doctor about their risk factors and undergo regular check-ups.

Cardio electrophysiologists who examine the electrical activity of the heart will do a comprehensive diagnostic test, including stress tests, scans, blood tests, and electrocardiograms. Once the diagnosis is done depending on the severity of symptoms medications are recommended and sometimes a surgical procedure is also called ablation- which involves burning off the tissue on the heart's surface using a laser with an extreme cold wave that is causing the problem. Often electrical cardioversion is also used which is a method to reset the heart rhythm by sending electric shocks to the heart through paddles and patches.

Though Afib can't always be prevented, reducing its risk is possible. Atrial fibrillation isn't usually life-threatening or considered serious in otherwise healthy people. However, atrial fibrillation can be dangerous if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other diseases of the heart. In either case, this condition needs to be appropriately diagnosed and managed by a doctor. One should ensure maintaining a healthy weight, managing blood pressure, good diabetes management, being physically active, reducing intake of alcohol, not smoking, and avoiding large quantities of caffeine. Though receiving an Afib diagnosis can be overwhelming, with treatment and lifestyle management one can continue with an active, happy life. There are treatments, medications, and tips for the ongoing well-being of people with AFib.

Content by: Dr. Venkat D Nagarajan, Cardiac Electrophysiologist and Lead for Heart rhythm & Cardiac device services at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai

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