Atrial Fibrillation

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Atrial Fibrillation

NIH - What Is Atrial Fibrillation? “Atrial fibrillation (A-tre-al fi-bri-LA-shun), or AF, is the most common arrhythmia (ah-RITH-me-ah). An arrhythmia is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. A disorder in the heart’s electrical system causes AF and other types of arrhythmia. AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria (AY-tree-uh), cause them to contract very fast and irregularly (this is called fibrillation). As a result, blood pools in the atria and isn’t pumped completely into the heart’s two lower chambers, called the ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls). When this happens, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don’t work together as they should. Often, people who have AF may not even feel symptoms. However, even when not noticed, AF can lead to an increased risk of stroke. In many patients, particularly when the rhythm is extremely rapid, AF can cause chest pain, heart attack, or heart failure. AF may occur rarely or every now and then, or it may become a persistent or permanent heart rhythm lasting for years. “

NIH - Medical Enyclopedia: Atrial fibrillation/flutter "Atrial fibrillation/flutter is a heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia). It usually involves a rapid heart rate, in which the upper heart chambers (atria) are stimulated to contract in a very disorganized and abnormal manner."

NHS – Atrial Fibrillation “Because of the way the heart is beating in atrial fibrillation, the blood in the atria (upper chambers of the heart) does not flow in a normal manner and is very turbulent. This can result in blood clots forming. These clots may then be swept into the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart) and pumped into the lungs or into the general circulation. Clots in the general circulation can block arteries in the brain, causing a stroke. The risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is about double that in the general population. The overall incidence of stroke in these people is 5 % per year. This risk is increased with age, high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes and a history of embolism (blood clots).”

Highlighted Articles

Focus On Atrial Fibrillation Recognizes Growing Importance Of Common Arrhythmia (2008) "Atrial fibrillation occurs when the upper chambers of the heart--the atria--quiver in an uncoordinated way rather than contracting with a steady tempo. Not only can this result in a rapid, irregular heart beat, but blood can pool in the atria and form clots that travel to the brain, causing a stroke. Some 3 percent to 4 percent of people over age 60 have atrial fibrillation, a risk that climbs to more than 5 percent after age 70."

Atrial fibrillation. (Mt Sinai J Med. 2006) "Diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, valvular disease, and myocardial infarction are all risk factors in the development of atrial fibrillation. And the diagnosis confers a five-fold increase in the incidence of stroke."

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Atrial Fibrillation

General Information

NEWS:

Atrial Fibrillation Tied to Higher Mortality in Patients With ACS "Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with both short- and long-term mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with or without ST-segment elevation, according to results of one of the largest studies of its type."

Focus On Atrial Fibrillation Recognizes Growing Importance Of Common Arrhythmia "Atrial fibrillation occurs when the upper chambers of the heart--the atria--quiver in an uncoordinated way rather than contracting with a steady tempo. Not only can this result in a rapid, irregular heart beat, but blood can pool in the atria and form clots that travel to the brain, causing a stroke. Some 3 percent to 4 percent of people over age 60 have atrial fibrillation, a risk that climbs to more than 5 percent after age 70."

ARTICLES:

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

An Epidemiological Study on the Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation in the Chinese Population of Mainland China. (J Epidemiol. 2008)

Atherosclerosis regression. (Curr Treat Options Cardiovasc Med. 2008)

Atrial fibrillation among older adults: pathophysiology, symptoms, and treatment. (J Gerontol Nurs. 2008)

Atrial Fibrillation and Obesity -- Results of a Meta-Analysis (J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008)

Atrial fibrillation in stroke-free patients is associated with memory impairment and hippocampal atrophy. (Eur Heart J. 2008) “Conclusion Even in the absence of manifest stroke, AF is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and hippocampal atrophy. Therefore, cognition and measures of structural brain integrity should be considered in the evaluation of novel treatments for AF.”

Atrial fibrillation: goals of therapy and management strategies to achieve the goals. (Med Clin North Am. 2008) "The primary goals in the management of patients who have atrial fibrillation are prevention of stroke and cardiomyopathy and amelioration of symptoms."

Early stroke risk after transient ischemic attack among individuals with symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis. (Arch Neurol. 2008)

Interaction of age with lipoproteins as predictors of aortic valve calcification in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. (Arch Intern Med. 2008) " . , low-density lipoprotein was a risk factor for AVC only in participants younger than 65 years, whereas the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio was associated with a modest increased risk of AVC across all ages. These findings may have important implications for the efficacy of and targets for dyslipidemia therapies in calcific aortic valve disease."

Sleep-disordered breathing and chronic atrial fibrillation. (Sleep Med. 2008) "CONCLUSION: Sleep-disordered breathing is more frequent in chronic persistent and permanent AF patients than in age-matched community dwelling subjects."

Subclinical atherosclerosis in subjects with family history of premature coronary artery disease. (Am Heart J. 2008)

The History of Atrial Fibrillation: The Last 100 Years (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2008)

The synergism between atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (J Card Fail. 2008)

Update on Atrial Fibrillation: Part I. (Clin Cardiol. 2008)

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