Atrial Fibrillation And Stroke

Atrial Fibrillation is a condition in which the heart’s 2 upper small chambers vibrate or shake rather than beating properly. Blood cannot be pumped out of them completely and so they may clot and pool there. If such a blood clot remains in the heart and blocks in an artery in the brain, it can result in a stroke. More than 15% of the strokes are seen in people having atrial fibrillation. Fibrillation also increases with increasing age.

AHA Recommendation for Preventing the Strokes

Treatment of the atrial fibrillation is considered as one of the important ways for preventing the stroke from occurring. Taking this into mind, the American Heart Association (AHA) suggests an offensive treatment for atrial fibrillation.

Drugs can also be used to decrease the risk of the stroke in people with atrial fibrillation. The anticoagulant and the antiplatelet medicines thin the blood, thus making it less prone towards clotting. The anticoagulant used nowadays for this sake is Warfarin and aspirin is the antiplatelet drug that is used very frequently. Using Warfarin for a long time for the treatment of atrial fibrillation can reduce the risk factors for stroke upto 68%. But at the same time, it is said that Warfarin has more side effects as compared to aspirin such as ulcer, bleeding gums, etc.

The patients having atrial fibrillation, the risk of developing a stroke will depend upon their age and the medical conditions. Research has found out that around 35% of the people suffering with atrial fibrillation experience a stroke in their lifetime. The connection of the stroke with atrial fibrillation is known since 1658. Considering, the presence of the other risks, the stroke rate from atrial fibrillation increases about 8% every year. The majority of the cases of atrial fibrillation are seen during the age group of 55 to 85 years.

The symptoms include feeling tired, fainting and experiencing a stroke. Hypertension, excessive alcohol, ischemic heart diseases are the general causes of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation can be diagnosed easily in patients who are having an abnormal heart rate. An electro cardiogram (ECG) can reveal the diagnosis.

Recommended Reading

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