A-Fib Begets A-Fib: The Longer You Have A-Fib, the Greater the Risk
“My advice to other patients: Know that paroxysmal A-Fib becomes chronic. Drugs only work for so long. Get with a great EP or A-Fib clinic and find your cure.”
Joan Schneider, A-Fib free after Catheter Ablation
The Longer You Have A-Fib, the Greater the Risk
‘A-Fib begets A-Fib.’ The longer you have A-Fib, the greater the risk of your A-Fib episodes becoming more frequent and longer, often leading to continuous (Chronic) A-Fib. Each A-Fib attack changes to some extent the cellular matrix in your heart’s electrical system leading to more A-Fib episodes. The abnormal rhythm in your atria causes electrical changes and enlarges your atria (called remodeling) making it work harder over time.(However, some people never progress to more serious A-Fib stages.)
Don’t listen to doctors who want to just control your symptoms with drugs. A-Fib is a progressive disease. Leaving patients in A-Fib overworks and weakens the heart, leads to fibrosis, stretches/expandes the atrial heart walls, increases the risk of stroke, develops (congestive) heart failure, and leads to dimentia because of reduced blood flow to the brain.
Don’t let your doctor leave you in A-Fib. Educate yourself. Any treatment plan for A-Fib must try to prevent or stop remodeling and fibrosis. Educate Yourself. And always aim for a Cure!
As anyone who’s had A-Fib can tell you, being back in sinus is wonderful! Sinus Rhythm Begets Sinus Rhythm. Your heart develops muscle memory which makes it want to stay in sinus.
To learn more, read my editorial, Leaving the Patient in A-Fib—No! No! No!
Educate Yourself—and Always Aim for a Cure!