What is atrial fibrillation and how to treat it

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The full functioning of the heart ensures an unimpeded supply of blood and oxygen to the internal organs. Violation of the normal frequency of contractions is a consequence of chronic infectious, viral diseases, poisoning with substances. There are several types of this condition. One of them is atrial fibrillation. We will find out what it is and how to treat it.

What it is?

Atrial fibrillation or atrial fibrillation is diagnosed in 2% of patients with cardiovascular disorders. The risk group is mainly made up of elderly people. The percentage of patients in this category is 8%. Pathology leads to serious consequences, therefore, timely examination and correct therapy are of great importance.

Atrial fibrillation is considered a type of supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. In patients with this diagnosis, the heart rate (HR) can reach a critical 350-700 beats per minute. Contractions are not only frequent but also chaotic. Also, patients have a violation of the synchronicity of individual complexes of muscle atrial fibers.

An attack of atrial fibrillation, which lasts a very long time, can lead to the formation of blood clots, and ischemic stroke often develops. Constant relapses of the disease are the reason for the rapid progress of the chronic form of insufficient blood circulation.

Causes of pathology

To understand what atrial fibrillation is and how to treat this condition, it is important to know that the risk of getting sick reaches 26% in people over 40 years old, if we talk about men, and 23% among women.

The risk group consists of patients with the following disorders of the cardiovascular system:

• arterial hypertension;
• ischemia (in 20% of patients);
• acquired form of valve defect;
• Congenital heart defect;
• cardiomyopathy;
• inflammatory process in any part of the heart;
• malignant and benign formations;
• the transferred surgical intervention on the organ.

There are other reasons as well. Cardiologists call them extracardiac. For example, heredity. As statistics show, every 4 patients with a diagnosed disease had a similar condition in close relatives.

Other provoking factors:

• overweight;
• diabetes mellitus, regardless of stage;
• obstructive pulmonary disease in a chronic course;
• apnea (severe nocturnal snoring and temporary cessation of breathing);
• chronic kidney disease;
• viral infection;
• gene mutation.

Often, the development of atrial fibrillation is associated with Graves' disease, intoxication as a result of alcohol abuse, lack of potassium, nervous and mental stress.

There are atrial fibrillation, the causes of which are not possible to find. Such conditions are called idiopathic.

Classification, species differences, stages

To understand how to treat atrial fibrillation, one should not only know what it is, but also what types and stages are distinguished. If we take the duration of the course as the basis for the classification, we can distinguish the following forms of the pathological process:

• transient or paroxysmal - heartbeat irregularities last from one day to seven days;
• persistent - the clinical picture persists for 7 or more days;
• chronic - in this case, even long-term and correctly selected treatment does not give the desired therapeutic result.

Another classification of atrial fibrillation has been proposed by the European Society of Cardiology. It is based on the manifestation of signs. Accordingly, there are 4 classes of atrial contractions:

• Class I - the condition proceeds in the absence of a clinic;
• Class II - the symptomatology is insignificant, the patient's usual activity is not disturbed;
• III class - the clinical picture is pronounced;
• IV class - the risk of disability is high, daily activity is impaired.

Some cardiologists, speaking about what atrial fibrillation is, distinguish another classification. It is based on the type of atrial rhythm disturbance:

1. Atrial fibrillation or atrial fibrillation. Due to the accumulation of a large number of electrical impulses in the atrioventricular junction, the ventricular myocardium begins to contract rapidly. Depending on this, atrial fibrillation is divided into bradysystolic (less than 60 beats per minute), normosystolic (60-90 beats / min.) And tachysystolic (90 or more contractions).
2. Atrial flutter. In this case, the heart rate reaches a critical 200-400 beats. But, what is important, the rhythm is not broken. There is no diastolic pause, the atria are constantly tense.

Atrial fibrillation symptoms

The clinical picture of a pathological condition is associated with its form. There are cases when paroxysmal fibrillation was asymptomatic. The only alarming signal is acute blockage of blood vessels by thrombus or thromboembolism.

The main symptoms of atrial fibrillation are palpitations, chest discomfort. The tachysystolic form of pathology is most severely tolerated by patients. They may complain about:

• strong heartbeat;
• pain and interruptions in the work of the heart;
• shortness of breath that gets worse with any physical activity.

In the initial stages, arrhythmia proceeds mainly as seizures. In the future, the course of the disease takes on an individual character. This means that the frequency and duration of paroxysms in one group of patients rarely changes, there are no signs of progression. In another, two or three changes are enough and atrial fibrillation turns into a chronic form.

Attacks of atrial fibrillation can also be carried in different ways. For example, unpleasant symptoms may be absent, the condition is diagnosed by chance. But this is rather an exception.

in total, seizures are accompanied by the following clinical picture:

• a feeling of chaos in the heartbeat;
• tremors in the muscles;
• general weakness;
• the formation of a large amount of urine;
• increased sweating.

In especially severe cases, patients may complain of dizziness, fainting, Morgagni-Adams-Stokes attacks.

When listening to the heart, the doctor detects tones of different volume. They are usually messy. It is important to know that atrial fibrillation is a condition in which there is a pulse deficit. In other words, the number of pulse waves is less than the number of heartbeats. This is because not every ventricular contraction is followed by an ejection of blood.

Diagnostics

Diagnosing atrial fibrillation is not difficult. The diagnosis is usually made after an initial examination. When probing the peripheral arteries, a chaotic rhythm of pulsation is determined. By listening to the heart with a stethoscope, the doctor can detect significant fluctuations in the volume of heart sounds.

In order to confirm the diagnosis, instrumental studies are carried out:

1. Electrocardiography … Of particular importance is the daily measurement - monitoring according to the Holter method. Additionally, exercise tests can be performed, which allows you to identify signs of ischemia and select pills aimed at eliminating the signs of arrhythmia.
2. Echocardiography … It involves scanning the heart rate with an ultrasound machine. During the diagnosis, the parameters of the heart cavities are established, the presence of blood clots in the internal structures of the organ is confirmed or refuted. The method also provides information on the systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle. Echocardiography results are important in understanding how to treat the clotting process.
3. MRI. The method of visualization of all parts of the heart helps to assess the quality of their work.
4. Transesophageal electrocardiography allows you to accurately determine the mechanism of development of the condition. Such a study is carried out most often before the planned surgical intervention.

As a rule, several diagnostic methods are used to obtain an accurate picture.

Treatment of atrial fibrillation with pills

The main goals of therapy include:

• restoration and maintenance of anatomical sinus rhythm;
• prevention of seizures.

It is equally important to take control of the heart rate and resort to a preventive method for thromboembolism.

The pills Amiodarone and Novocainamide, which have an antiarrhythmic effect, help to stop the attack. To control blood pressure and during electrocardiography, Quinidine and Propafenone are prescribed.

If the examination reveals a high risk of thromboembolism, blood thinning pills are prescribed. Such drugs are prescribed strictly on an individual basis. Some of them require regular tests.

For those cases when the attack lasts more than two days and, accordingly, the risk of blood clots increases, medications from the group of indirect anticoagulants are indicated. For example, Warfarin.

To stabilize the state of health in case of atrial fibrillation, a decrease in heart rate is of great importance. Β-blockers, as well as calcium channel blockers, help to solve this problem. Such pills slow down the heartbeat due to the fact that the ventricles contract less frequently.

Important! Before using drugs, consult a specialist.

To keep the number of heartbeats at the level of 60 beats, the intake of drugs belonging to the following groups is shown:

• calcium antagonists;
• β-blockers;
• digitalis preparations;
• antiarrhythmic drugs.

An example of the most effective drug from the digitalis group is Digoxin tablets. Verapamil helps to reduce the manifestations of arrhythmias. In some cases, therapy is carried out in a hospital - this is the only way to control the body's reaction.

It is imperative for patients with diagnosed atrial fibrillation and frequent seizures to know how to treat an attack at home. As a rule, Propanorm or Propafenone is prescribed to stabilize the condition.

Treatment of atrial fibrillation with folk remedies

During the appointment, doctors often give patients information on how to treat atrial fibrillation with folk remedies. This therapy complements the basic, drug treatment.

Examples of the most effective decoctions and tinctures:

1. Viburnum decoction. The berries are poured with boiling water and allowed to brew. Take 200 ml twice - in the morning and in the evening, before bedtime. The tool vitaminizes the body, has a positive effect on the heart rate, as well as the pills taken.
2. Yarrow tincture. Alcohol composition, which limits its intake by persons with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Take 1 tsp before breakfast and lunch.
3. Dill decoction … The seeds of the plant are poured with boiling water and allowed to brew for half an hour. Take ⅓ glass three times a day. The broth is familiar not only to those who are looking for methods of treating atrial fibrillation with folk remedies. Dill helps fight excess gas formation.
4. A decoction of lily of the valley, hawthorn and valerian flowers taken in a 2: 1: 1 ratio is very effective.

Before starting to treat atrial fibrillation with folk remedies, you must consult your doctor.

First and Emergency Aid

To avoid seizures, doctors recommend taking the medicines prescribed to improve the heart rhythm in a timely manner. If an attack of atrial fibrillation has occurred, an ambulance must be called.

Patients should know how to treat atrial fibrillation at home. It means that they should have Validol, Valokordin in easy access.

Complications of atrial fibrillation

The main and most dangerous complication of the condition is blood stasis. Most often, clots form in the left atrium. Other complications include:

• conditions that have developed against the background of heart disease lead to heart failure;
• the risk of pulmonary edema, cardiac asthma is higher in patients with mitral stenosis;
• arrhythmogenic shock;
• ventricular fibrillation, which can lead to cardiac arrest.

The prognosis for pathology is determined by the severity of the disease that provoked atrial fibrillation.

Prevention of atrial fibrillation

Speaking about how to treat atrial fibrillation at home, cardiologists most often mean primary as well as secondary preventive measures. In the first case, this is the active treatment of those diseases that most often provoke atrial fibrillation. This is especially true for heart failure and arterial hypertension.

A healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and physical activity are of great importance in how to treat the condition. The diet should include plenty of fish, plant foods, seafood. Be sure to monitor your weight, do breathing and therapeutic exercises.

The need for secondary preventive measures arises in patients with a fixed manifestation of arrhythmia. Even if it was single and not long. The main goal in this case is to prevent the recurrence of the condition. The first place for solving this problem is timely treatment, and sometimes surgery.