Three dangers of atrial fibrillation that must be prevented!

Atrial fibrillation can be very harmful to human health. People who suffer from atrial fibrillation are not allowed to do overly strenuous exercise or get too excited, which makes many friends who suffer from atrial fibrillation feel distressed. Atrial fibrillation can cause many diseases as people age, all of which can endanger their health. Today I will share with you the dangers of having atrial fibrillation.

One of the hazards of atrial fibrillation: affecting the quality of life and work

Generally, patients with atrial fibrillation will experience palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, etc., making them feel uncomfortable, and their quality of life and work will be affected. Especially those with poor heart function are unable to cope with daily life. Some patients with atrial fibrillation have severe symptoms, such as fatigue, dyspnea, syncope, etc. Those with underlying heart failure may develop acute pulmonary edema. Studies have shown that the quality of life scores of patients with atrial fibrillation are much lower than those of healthy people of the same age. The quality of life is more affected in the following situations: females, patients under 69 years old, patients with long duration of atrial fibrillation (more than one month), and patients with decreased activity tolerance.

The second harm of atrial fibrillation: the impact of atrial fibrillation on heart function

In patients with heart failure, the heart's ejection function is reduced and cannot meet the patient's body needs, leading to symptoms of heart failure such as dyspnea and edema of both lower limbs. With repeated attacks of heart failure, the patient's cardiac function gradually decreases, fibrosis worsens, and myocardial cells decrease, eventually leading to death.

The third hazard of atrial fibrillation: increased mortality

Many studies have shown that atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for increased mortality. In the absence of other cardiovascular diseases, atrial fibrillation can double the mortality rate. When combined with heart failure, the mortality rate of patients with atrial fibrillation is 2.2 times higher in men and 1.8 times higher in women than in those without atrial fibrillation.

The fourth danger of atrial fibrillation: thrombosis and embolism

During normal sinus rhythm, the blood flow in the heart is laminar, but during atrial fibrillation, it becomes turbulent. Even the basically unidirectional blood flow becomes vortex-like, increasing damage to the endocardium and making it easy to form blood clots. The thrombus breaks off and flows with the blood. If the blood clot is large, it may get lodged in the valve opening, causing the heart to be unable to pump blood, which may lead to sudden death. Smaller blood clots can embolize multiple organs such as the brain, kidneys, limbs, and spleen, causing multiple organ damage. If cerebral embolism occurs, death, hemiplegia, limb movement or sensory disorders, etc. may occur.