Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Re: Atrial Fibrilation
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Re: Atrial Fibrilation
by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Jan 01, 1995 12:00AM
Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on November 26, 1998 at 22:02:33:
In Reply to: Atrial Fibrilation posted by Jon Z. on November 23, 1998 at 11:37:06:
I have previously been diagnosed with AF. On 11/23/98 I had another "attack".
It seemed as though someone took my heart in their hand and squeezed it.
I then felt lightheaded momentarily. This lasted about 5 seconds. Then my
blood pressure shot through the roof and my heart raced for about
10 minutes. After that time, everything returned
to normal. I am very concerned about the possibility of heart attack, or
more complications. I am taking Vasotec for hypertension. I am 36 yrs. old.
I have had this problem for many years. Only once did I need to go to
the hospital to be converted to normal rhythym.
I was seen by a cardiologist after being in the hospital. He said
there was no heart disease or problems. He said it was nothing to worry
about.
This time, I am worried. I don't think this is normal. Is there
anything that can be done, or can you refer me to someone I can get
a second opinion from?
Thanks.
________
Dear Jon, thank you for your question. It sounds like you suffer from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that may be related to your hypertension. With hypertension, the left atrium is distended by the increased pressure. When the left atrium enlarges, atrial fibrillation can occur either chronically or intermittently (as in your case). Since you are 36 years old, I will assume that you have a normal heart otherwise and that you do not have coronary artery disease nor congestive heart failure. If this is the case, then paroxysmal atrial fibrillation should not lead to an adverse prognosis. The biggest concern regarding atrial fib is that a clot could form in the left atrium and be ejected to the rest of the body. If this happens, a stroke occurs. However, strokes are very unusual in young patients with normal hearts. The other concern regarding afib is the rapid heart rate and the symptoms that it causes. Most of your symptoms appear to be related to the rapid heart rate during atrial fib. I doubt that you had a heart attack or are at risk for a heart attack given your young age. In your case, I think you should at least be on one aspirin for blood thinning purposes and a beta blocker should be considered to slow down your heart rate if atrial fib recurs. Additionally, your thyroid function tests should be check to exclude hyperthyroidism as a cause of your atrial fib. Thus, if you havent discussed these issues with your physician, then a second opinion may be warranted. If you could write back to tell me where you live, I may be able to help with a second opinion. If not, then I recommend that you check with your primary care doctor regarding a referral to another cardiologist.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
In Reply to: Atrial Fibrilation posted by Jon Z. on November 23, 1998 at 11:37:06:
I have previously been diagnosed with AF. On 11/23/98 I had another "attack".
It seemed as though someone took my heart in their hand and squeezed it.
I then felt lightheaded momentarily. This lasted about 5 seconds. Then my
blood pressure shot through the roof and my heart raced for about
10 minutes. After that time, everything returned
to normal. I am very concerned about the possibility of heart attack, or
more complications. I am taking Vasotec for hypertension. I am 36 yrs. old.
I have had this problem for many years. Only once did I need to go to
the hospital to be converted to normal rhythym.
I was seen by a cardiologist after being in the hospital. He said
there was no heart disease or problems. He said it was nothing to worry
about.
This time, I am worried. I don't think this is normal. Is there
anything that can be done, or can you refer me to someone I can get
a second opinion from?
Thanks.
________
Dear Jon, thank you for your question. It sounds like you suffer from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that may be related to your hypertension. With hypertension, the left atrium is distended by the increased pressure. When the left atrium enlarges, atrial fibrillation can occur either chronically or intermittently (as in your case). Since you are 36 years old, I will assume that you have a normal heart otherwise and that you do not have coronary artery disease nor congestive heart failure. If this is the case, then paroxysmal atrial fibrillation should not lead to an adverse prognosis. The biggest concern regarding atrial fib is that a clot could form in the left atrium and be ejected to the rest of the body. If this happens, a stroke occurs. However, strokes are very unusual in young patients with normal hearts. The other concern regarding afib is the rapid heart rate and the symptoms that it causes. Most of your symptoms appear to be related to the rapid heart rate during atrial fib. I doubt that you had a heart attack or are at risk for a heart attack given your young age. In your case, I think you should at least be on one aspirin for blood thinning purposes and a beta blocker should be considered to slow down your heart rate if atrial fib recurs. Additionally, your thyroid function tests should be check to exclude hyperthyroidism as a cause of your atrial fib. Thus, if you havent discussed these issues with your physician, then a second opinion may be warranted. If you could write back to tell me where you live, I may be able to help with a second opinion. If not, then I recommend that you check with your primary care doctor regarding a referral to another cardiologist.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
