AFIB stands for atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia or abnormal heartbeat. It is caused by extremely fast and irregular beats from the upper chambers of the heart (usually > 400 bpm) (Source: JHM)
If you have AFib, faulty electrical signals make the two upper chambers(Atria) contract irregularly and much faster than normal.
Due to this, the upper chambers of your heart get out of syncm with the lower chambers of the heart which leads to blood clots and strokes.
There are three types of AFib, Paroxysmal AFib, Persistent AFib and Long-standing persistent AFIB.
AFIB can cause symptoms such as dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, fainting, weakness, and palpitations.
To diagnose AFib, doctors recommend a special ECG monitor to record your heart rhythm over an extended time as a single ECG may not detect a problem.
The treatment options available for AFib are as follows:
– Medicines that control your heart rate – To prevent the formation of blood clots blood-thinning medicines are to be given – Changing normal to healthy lifestyle helps to manage AFib risk factors