Atrial Fibrillation & Flutter Key Facts

• In atrial fibrillation, the electrical signals that coordinate the muscle of the upper chambers (atria) of the heart become rapid and disorganized, resulting in an irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) often greater than 300 beats per minute. In atrial flutter, a single electrical wave circulates very rapidly in the upper chambers.
• An estimated 2.2 million people in the United States have A Fib, and approximately 160,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.
• A Fib and AFL usually are not life-threatening if treated properly.
• The likelihood of developing these arrhythmias increases with age. After age 65, between 3 percent and 5 percent of people have AF.
• AF may last a short time and end spontaneously (called paroxysmal AF) or it may continue indefinitely (persistent or permanent AF).
• Many patients with paroxysmal AF eventually develop permanent AF.
• The signs and symptoms of AF vary, and may include a sudden flutter of the heart, anxiety, shortness of breath, weakness and difficulty exercising, chest pain, sweating, dizziness or fainting.
• AF may have no known cause, or it may be related to coronary artery disease, thyroid disease, high blood pressure, structural defects of the heart and its valves, lung disease or other disorders.
• AF is diagnosed by electrocardiogram (ECG), or with devices that are worn by the patient to monitor the heart over time (Holter monitors and event recorders).
• AF may increase the risk of blood clots and stroke. Medications can be prescribed to prevent blood clots from forming.
• AF sometimes requires treatment with medications, controlled electric shocks to the heart or procedures that destroy the heart tissue that gives rise to the irregular heart rhythm. Less often, a pacemaker or other device is implanted to monitor and control the heart's rhythm.