Atrial fibrillation or AFib is a form of heart condition that prompts the upper chambers within the heart to act abnormally. Small vibrations prevent the heart from pumping as it should. In a typical person, blood moves from an atrium to the lower chamber of the heart, where it can be moved through all of the body. However, if the atrium is quivering instead of pumping, you might feel as though your heart has skipped a beat. You may feel nauseous, weak, or even short of breath.
In addition to the palpitations and sensations that come with AFib, you may also find that this condition means that you suffer from a greater risk of blood clots. When the blood in your body doesn’t pump as it should, the blood that stalls in the heart is more prone to clotting. Clots are particularly dangerous because they can lead to stroke. The American Heart Association has revealed that up to 20% of patients who have strokes also suffer from the condition known as atrial fibrillation. If you have this condition, you may be wondering about life expectancy with atrial fibrillation.
Understanding Life Expectancy With Atrial Fibrillation
Treatment and medication are available for people who suffer from AFib. Most of these solutions, however, will only control the condition – not cure it. According to experts, around 2.7 million Americans currently have this condition, and because of this, most people over the age of 65 who also have AFib will take blood thinning medication to help reduce their chances of suffering from various complications, such as a stroke.
Importance of Getting Regular Treatment
An important thing to note when understanding life expectancy with atrial fibrillation, is that getting regular treatment and staying in contact with your doctor can improve your prognosis significantly. Studies suggest that about 35% of the people who do not get treatment for their AFib condition will go on to suffer a stroke. Importantly, it’s worth noting that episodes of AFib are not always deadly, but they can frequently contribute to other issues that can lead to fatal consequences.
In simple terms, it is possible for atrial fibrillation to have an impact on your expected lifespan. This is generally because it represents some significant dysfunction within the heart muscle that needs to be managed and fixed. However, many treatments can assist a person in controlling the symptoms of AFib and reducing their chances of serious problems like heart failure and stroke.
Complications Involved with Atrial Fibrillation
Generally, your life expectancy with atrial fibrillation will be affected if you suffer from the two primary complications that are associated with this condition. These two complications are heart failure and stroke. What’s more, the increased risk for clotting could mean that a clot breaks off and travels to your brain.
If you have atrial fibrillation, you may need to speak to your doctor about the risks that you have for a stroke, and the steps you may need to take to prevent further problems from occurring. Similarly, heart failure is another problem associated with AFib. When your heart beats out of time this can result in heart failure.
