{"id":38714,"date":"2021-08-18T09:30:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T13:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=38714"},"modified":"2021-08-12T13:50:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T17:50:51","slug":"living-with-afib","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/living-with-afib\/","title":{"rendered":"Living with afib: When a fluttering heart can be dangerous"},"content":{"rendered":"

My heart has always seemed to flutter every now and then. But, at my annual physicals all of my tests always came back normal. I felt fine otherwise. Until last summer, during the pandemic, my heart seemed to be skipping more beats than usual. Although I had no pain or shortness of breath, I figured it couldn\u2019t hurt to get checked out at my nearby urgent care center. It was a good thing, too. Just minutes later, the healthcare provider who examined me said her reading of my electrocardiogram (EKG) showed I had atrial fibrillation.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What causes heart palpitations?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What is afib?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Atrial fibrillation, often referred to as afib, is an irregular heartbeat. It\u2019s common, affecting 2.7 million Americans, according to the <\/span>American Heart Association<\/span><\/a>. My urgent care provider reassured me that an episode of afib is not dangerous, but leaving it untreated is\u2014that is why I was lucky to have found out when I did. Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation can lead to stroke, heart failure, chronic fatigue, or other heart rhythm problems. As soon as I got home, I called a cardiologist recommended to me and was lucky enough to get an appointment for that afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Diagnosing afib<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cEveryone is different in how afib affects them,\u201d explains <\/span>Jeffrey Levisman, MD<\/span><\/a>, chair of cardiovascular Medicine at Mountainview Hospital, in Las Vegas, Nevada. An EKG is the most reliable way to diagnose the condition. My second EKG of the day, this time at the cardiologist\u2019s office, was normal. It\u2019s common for people to have heart rhythms that vacillate between atrial fibrillation and normal sinus rhythm. An EKG is just a quick snapshot of the heart\u2019s activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To gather more information about my heart, for the next two weeks, my provider asked me to wear a Holter monitor\u2014a small, portable, battery-run device with electrodes that records a continuous EKG. This keeps tabs on the heart\u2019s activity over a longer period than an EKG can, more like a movie than a quick photo. During that time, the Holter monitor recorded another afib episode. Afib is asymptomatic at times, so people can flip in and out of atrial fibrillation without noticing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your physician may want to run additional tests to diagnose and treat risk factors for afib, such as high cholesterol, overactive thyroid, high blood pressure, or heart disease. Or, to perform an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) to assess your heart\u2019s strength and function.<\/span><\/p>\n

Medications for afib<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are two main types of medication given to <\/span>people with afib<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Blood thinners<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cEveryone with afib is at an increased risk of stroke because of the blood clots that may form in the heart as a result of the irregular heartbeat,\u201d says Dr. Levinsman. \u201cFor the risk of stroke, we prescribe blood thinners.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a calculation called the <\/span>CHA2DS2-VASc<\/span><\/a> score that estimates your risk that afib will cause a blood clot. Since I am over 65 and female\u2014both risk factors for complications from afib\u2014the cardiac protocol called for me to be on a blood thinner immediately. Commonly prescribed blood thinners are prescribed include:<\/span><\/p>\n