You may often think that a fast heartbeat is normal or even a sign of good things. However, for tens of millions of people with cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias or palpitations are a sign of a very serious health condition.
Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib or AF, is a shaking or irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart failure, blood clots and even stroke. It is the most common serious heart rhythm abnormality.
With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spans from the top of the heart to the bottom, which causes the heart to contract and pump blood. Normally, your heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat. AFib occurs when a fast and disorganized electrical signal causes the heart’s two upper chambers (atria) to contract very rapidly and irregularly (also known as fibrillation). This causes blood to pool in the atria instead of being pumped completely into the ventricles, the two lower chambers of the heart. As a result, the upper and lower chambers are out of sync and the heart’s efficiency is lost.
With AFib, the rate of impulses through the atria can vary from 300 to 600 beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate does not exceed 100 beats per minute. It is important to make an appointment with a cardiologist if you suspect this type of arrhythmia.
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