Younger patients, women and those with AF family history were more likely to report experiencing irregular heartbeats after triggers. The most common were alcohol (35 percent), caffeine (28 percent), exercise (23 percent) and lack of sleep (21 percent). Nearly 74 percent (957) reported AF triggers. Participants also could write in their own triggers. In the HeartRhythm study, the researchers surveyed 1,295 AF patients from the Health eHeart Study and, asking them whether they had experienced an AF episode triggered by one of 11 potential triggers that had been identified by an AF patient review board. They are part of the Health eHeart Alliance, a patient-powered research network involved in the design, conduct, oversight and results dissemination of cardiovascular-focused research projects and supported by the UCSF-led Health eHeart Study. Little is known about acute exposures influencing specific episodes.Īccording to Marcus, the idea for this study arose from a group of AF patients, including author Mellanie True Hills, chief executive officer of the patient advocacy non-profit, and another, Debbe McCall, who has a Twitter following of thousands of fellow patients. Previous research has focused on determining predictors of AF development, which are known to include being older, male and white having multiple cardiovascular comorbidities and lifestyle factors such as alcohol and smoking. Earlier detection would enable the use of anticoagulation therapy to mitigate the risk of stroke and other complications, such as dementia, chronic kidney disease and heart attack. One in four adults over age 40 is at risk for AF, with a projection of nearly 6 million people in the nation having the condition by 2050.ĪF is one of the leading causes of stroke, but often has no symptoms and can remain undetected until a stroke actually occurs. In AF, electrical impulses in the upper chambers of the heart are chaotic, causing the atrial walls to quiver, rather than contracting normally in moving blood to the lower chambers. "This study focuses on specific exposures that cause an individual episode to occur." "Almost all AF studies have to do with risk factors for the initial development of the disease," said senior author Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, a UCSF Health cardiologist and associate chief of cardiology for research in the UCSF Division of Cardiology. Hummel.The findings, identified by researchers at UC San Francisco in collaboration with patients and advocates, indicate potential ways to prevent and reduce AF episodes. "Abnormal heartbeats can come and go, especially in young people,” states Dr. Remember, not all unusual heart rhythms will require treatment. Hummel advises you make notes of when you experience irregular heartbeats and share this information with your doctor. Hummel says external factors could be causing disruptions in your heart rhythm:ĭr. If it’s not, abnormal heart rhythms more commonly will increase your risk of stroke or sudden death.”ĭr. “The other issue is whether your heart is structurally normal. “There’s a big difference between sitting in a chair and noticing your heart skipping and having fluttering that makes you feel like I’m going to pass out,” says Dr. Hummel, those symptoms include fainting, dizziness, chest pain, swelling in your leg or shortness of breath. Go immediately to the doctor if you have additional symptoms with your irregular heartbeat or you’ve had a heart attack or other heart stress. Hummel says it can be difficult for most people to know if an irregular heartbeat is a sign of something more serious. Hummel explains some people experience an extra heartbeat, a skipped beat, too fast of a beat (called tachycardia) or too slow of a beat (called bradycardia).ĭr. There are several types of irregular heartbeats. The possible causes of an irregular heartbeat can vary widely – from too much caffeine to a more potentially dangerous condition of having your blood pressure skyrocket or plummet. “But it doesn't always require treatment.” “It can be tempting to jump to the worst-case scenario when it comes to your heart, and to think that an irregular heartbeat is a sign of a serious disease,” says Dr. Ross Heart Hospital, sheds some light on irregular heart rhythms, or types of arrhythmias, which are fairly common. John Hummel, MD, a heart rhythm specialist at the Richard M. But when does an extra heartbeat or other unexpected feeling warrant a visit to your doctor? Having a hiccup in your heart rhythm can be uncomfortable – as well as frightening.
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