If you have an abnormal result, you will need to see a physician for further diagnostic testing. Atrial fibrillation can be treated with medications to prevent blood clots and to control the heart rate. In some cases, surgery may be required. Treatment depends on the underlying cause, your symptoms, and your medical history.
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation -- the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia -- causes an irregular heartbeat that can increase your risk for stroke and heart failure. Atrial fibrillation (AF or AFib) results from faulty signals produced by the heart's electrical system, causing the upper portion of the heart to fibrillate, or contract rapidly and irregularly. AFib doesn't cause noticeable symptoms for everyone. For those who do experience symptoms, heart palpitations are common along with feeling weak, dizzy and tired. Learn more about atrial fibrillation with expert advice from Sharecare.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answeredIf your child has atrial fibrillation, you should inform your child's school about it. If teachers are informed of your child's condition, they can know to watch for symptoms of an episode that needs medical attention, like chest pain or breathing trouble. If your child is taking medications that are supposed to be taken during the school day, the school nurse would have to know. In the end, it is beneficial to your child's health for the people who take care of him or her when you are not around to know about atrial fibrillation.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
Children who have atrial fibrillation experience the same symptoms as adults. However, children are less likely than adults to develop atrial fibrillation, because risk increases with age. Children also may not recognize or be able to articulate the symptoms. If you are concerned that your child has atrial fibrillation, talk to your doctor about treatment.
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Dr. Douglas E. Severance, MD , Family Medicine, answeredIt's quite rare for children to get atrial fibrillation. Still, children with congenital heart conditions may develop atrial fibrillation. But most people with atrial fibrillation acquire it because of heart conditions such as high blood pressure or coronary artery disease, and these are very rare in children. However, some pediatricians believe that atrial fibrillation may be somewhat under-diagnosed in adolescents, including those who participate in sports. -
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Joan Haizlip, MSN , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredSee All 2 AnswersIt is rare for children to get atrial fibrillation. However, some pediatricians feel tht atrial fibrillation is underdiagnosed in adolescents, especially those who play sports. Atrial fibrillation usually affects older adults. Over 2 million Americans currently have atrial fibrillation. -
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 3 AnswersYES!! We know you have plenty of reasons on your list of why you should quit smoking, but we’re going to add another one: avoiding atrial fibrillation (AF): Smokers are about 50% more likely than nonsmokers to develop AF.
By the way, if you occasionally inhale a certain illegal herbal product, this means you, too. So the sooner you breathe free, the sooner your risk of AF drops.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 2 Answers
You can reduce your risk for atrial fibrillation by following these golden rules of good health.
- Eat a diet that’s food felon free. To refresh your memory, these evil villains include: 1) saturated fat, the kind found in meat, poultry skin, full-fat dairy foods, and palm and coconut oils; 2) trans fats, the ugly stuff still pumped into many snack foods and commercial desserts; 3) simple sugars; 4) added sugars in general, including all added syrups, and 5) any grain that’s not a whole grain.
- Eat five handfuls of fruits and five handfuls of veggies every day. The more colorful, the better.
- Minimize the amount of salt in your diet.
- Stick to lean proteins. Like chicken breast, ground turkey, fish, tofu, nuts, and legumes.
- Get those 10,000 steps every day. NO excuses!
- Breathe free. If you do smoke, quit ASAP.
- Don’t abuse booze. That means no more than one drink a day for the ladies and two for the gents. And no, you can’t stockpile them for the weekends and have seven to fourteen in one sitting.
- Manage your stress. We know it’s tough, but deep breathing, yoga, and a good night’s sleep (six to eight hours a night) can work like a charm.
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Dr. Douglas E. Severance, MD , Family Medicine, answeredLosing pounds can help prevent atrial fibrillation because being overweight or obese is a risk factor for the abnormal heart rhythm disorder. Also, if you are overweight or obese, you have a higher chance of getting high blood pressure, which also raises the odds of developing the irregular heartbeat. As your weight rises, so does your blood pressure. But losing just 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about a healthy eating plan if you need to lose weight. While the DASH diet can help you lower high blood pressure, it is not a weight loss diet. Your doctor can recommend a diet that has the right number of calories that will let you shed pounds and lower your blood pressure and your risk for atrial fibrillation.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 3 Answers
Remember learning about the transitive property in math class? We don’t either. It comes into play in the answer to your question. The DASH diet has been clinically proven to lower elevated blood pressure. High blood pressure raises your risk for atrial fibrillation. Therefore (invoke the transitive property), following the DASH diet should help to prevent atrial fibrillation.
The key to DASH is limiting sodium and food felons like bad fats, and loading up on fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and low- or non-fat dairy foods.
If you’re interested, ask your doc for the dope on the DASH diet.
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Dr. Jose Nazari, MD , Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, answered on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystemSee All 6 AnswersThe best way to prevent atrial fibrillation is to prevent hypertension and treat it promptly if it occurs. Stay healthy, exercise regularly, and eat healthily.