Atrial fibrillation – is it dangerous?

Prevalence of cardiovascular disease

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death [1]. About 18 million people die from these diseases every year. This group of diseases includes conditions such as high blood pressure or arterial hypertension, low blood pressure (hypotension), tachycardia, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), heart beats, heart failure, myocarditis, pericarditis and other heart diseases [2]. All of these conditions can provoke heart attack and stroke, so it is very important to diagnose and treat them in time. As many as 85% of all patients with heart disease die from heart attack or stroke.

What is atrial fibrillation, what are the possible complications?

Chronic heart disease, usually high and untreated blood pressure, can provoke a number of dangerous conditions, one of which is atrial fibrillation (AF). This is a heart rhythm disorder in which the heart beats irregularly, at a very high rate. During AF, the heart does not have time to fill with blood due to the high heart rate, which means that the body is not adequately supplied with blood, and the likelihood of thrombus formation also increases. Due to the above processes, blood clots form about 5-7 times more often during AF, the likelihood of stroke increases significantly, and acute heart failure or infarction may occur due to insufficient cardiac output [3].

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation

Depending on the heart disease, different symptoms of atrial fibrillation may occur. Most often, due to heart failure, this condition is characterized by rapid fatigue, dizziness, and decreased physical performance. The disturbed pulse leads to discomfort in the chest area, palpitations, pain, and an unusually fast heartbeat. There is also a type of AF in which the patient may not feel any symptoms at all, which is why the disease can remain unnoticed for several years [4]. In acute cases, severe chest pain (a sign of a heart attack) or acute heart failure occurs, which disrupts the functioning of many human organs.

Diagnostics

Because atrial fibrillation, like virtually any arrhythmia, can occur without the patient experiencing any symptoms, it is very important to have regular check-ups with your family doctor or monitor your heart condition in other ways. It is believed that up to 70% of PV goes unnoticed. An electrocardiogram (ECG) detects PV with 100% accuracy, but you can also suspect this condition yourself if you experience the above symptoms, your pulse is constantly irregular (especially if your blood pressure is normal at the time), the devices show errors when measuring your pulse with a smartwatch or bracelet, or simply fail to do so.

Advanced blood pressure monitors, such as the Microlife BPB3, can detect atrial fibrillation (AFIB function). According to statistics, the older a person is, the higher the risk of developing AF [5]. Atrial fibrillation occurs in 5% of people over 65 years of age and even 14% of seniors over 85 years of age. Therefore, we recommend blood pressure monitors with the AFIB function for older patients aged 65-70. If you have a blood pressure monitor with this function and atrial fibrillation is detected during measurement, consult your doctor immediately. For AF detection and control, aceso.lt recommends choosing blood pressure monitors from the manufacturer Microlife, as their accuracy has been confirmed by clinical studies [6,7].

Lower-end blood pressure monitors (e.g. Microlife BPA2, Omron M2 classic, Omron M3 comfort) only detect pulse arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation is classified as this type of rhythm disorder. It can be argued that atrial fibrillation can also be detected with lower-end devices, but you will never be sure what arrhythmia is detected and whether you need to see a doctor.

In summary, atrial fibrillation is a fairly dangerous condition, but seniors over 70 years of age and patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension, arrhythmia, heart failure or other chronic heart diseases should be especially concerned. It is for such patients that more attention should be paid to diagnosing arrhythmias and it is recommended to purchase a blood pressure monitor that detects not only pulse arrhythmias, but also atrial fibrillation, which is dangerous to health.

Sources:

[1] https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases/#tab=tab_1

[2]https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-cardiovascular-disease

[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atrial-fibrillation/symptoms-causes/syc-20350624

[4] Page RL, Wilkinson WE, Clair WK, McCarthy EA, Pritchett EL Asymptomatic arrhythmias in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia

[5] https://www.microlife.lt/technologies/blood-pressure/afib-technology

[6] Kearley K, Selwood M, Van den Bruel A, Thompson M, Mant D, Hobbs FR et al.: Triage tests for identifying atrial fibrillation in primary care: a diagnostic accuracy study comparing single-lead ECG and modified BP monitors. BMJ Open 2014; 4:e004565.

[7] Wiesel J, Arbesfeld B, Schechter D: Comparison of the Microlife blood pressure monitor with the Omron blood pressure monitor for detecting atrial fibrillation. Am J Cardiol 2014; 114:1046-1048.