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How can atrial fibrillation be treated?

4 min read

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Did our app detect atrial fibrillation? Better make an appointment to see your cardiologist or GP to discuss these results, because atrial fibrillation does not go away on its own. Instead, it often gets more severe over time. In this article, we will explain more on what the potential treatments for atrial fibrillation are.

The risks involved in atrial fibrillation

If you get an AF diagnosis you are not alone. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder. From the age of 40 upwards, the risk of developing this heart rhythm disorder is 1 in 3. Even if you do not experience any symptoms, the irregular trembling or fibrillation of your heart may loosen up small blood clots which may end up causing a stroke.

Thankfully, atrial fibrillation generally responds well to treatment if detected early on. The official medical guidelines prescribe an efficient and all-embracing ABC approach, in which A stands for ‘Avoid stroke’, B stands for ‘Better symptom management’ and C for ‘Cardiovascular and comorbidity risk reduction’ (controlling the risk factors).

woman clutching chest

Step A: avoiding stroke

The absolute number one priority in treating AF is to avoid a stroke. The key thing is to first reduce the formation of blood clots. This is mostly done through blood thinning medication. There are various risk factors that play a part in this decision, including your age, gender, existing heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and medical history of strokes or blood clots.

Exactly which blood thinner you will be getting is decided by your doctor. There are various types of blood thinning medicines on the market.

Step B: rhythm and frequency control

Atrial fibrillation is an unpredictable condition. Sometimes the fibrillations occur just once every few months. Sometimes they occur on a daily basis, lasting from a few minutes to a number of hours. And while they often stop by themselves, in some cases they don’t. The most important thing to do then is to lend your heart a helping hand. This can be done by rhythm control and frequency control.

Rhythm control

The ultimate aim of rhythm control is to restore your normal heart rhythm (sinus rhythm) and to keep it that way. In medical terms, this is what is known as a ‘cardioversion’. Cardioversion may be achieved via medication (antiarrhythmic agents) or by giving the heart a reset by administering an electric shock (electroshock cardioversion). To increase the chances of a lasting result, this is often followed by a maintenance treatment involving antiarrhythmic agents.

Unfortunately, cardioversions are not always successful. Young patients with newly developed atrial fibrillation and without any other heart problems are less at risk of a relapse.

An ablation is one possible alternative. This is a surgical procedure in which minor scars will be made on the heart tissue that conducts the disrupted rhythm patterns. This interrupts the abnormal electrical conduction so no more fibrillations can occur.

Frequency control

Another approach is frequency control. Here, the idea is to significantly slow down your heart rhythm. Although your heart rhythm remains irregular, your heart goes back to pumping more efficiently and the symptoms automatically disappear or diminish.

Your doctor may prescribe medication for these delaying tactics such as beta blockers, calcium antagonists or digitalis. Sometimes even a combination of multiple medicines may be required.

Step C: tackling the underlying problems and risk factors

A lot of the time, heart rhythm disorders do not appear by themselves. Sometimes they are the result of one or several underlying problems. In addition, certain risk factors may aggravate the heart rhythm disorder.

This makes it vital for an integrated approach to be adopted that looks at the wider picture. This integrated approach will include the treatment of:

  • high blood pressure (hypertension)

  • underlying heart problems

  • diabetes

  • excess weight

  • sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea

Your lifestyle is also of importance. Your diet, smoking and drinking habits and activity level all matter. A few simple adjustments to your everyday routine can make a world of difference.

Check your heart rhythm with FibriCheck

We would like to add a letter to this medical ABC approach: the D of daily checks. With easy 60 second measurements, you can stay in control of your heart health and see how well your heart rhythm is responding to treatment. Monitoring your heart rhythm on a daily basis empowers you to collect important, potentially life-saving medical data whilst allowing you to keep enjoying the things you love in life with peace of mind.

Worried about heart rhythm disorders?

FibriCheck is the first medically certified app that measures your heart rate and heart rhythm via your smartphone.

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