Atrial fibrillation, referred to as atrial fibrillation for short, is one of the most common arrhythmias. It refers to the loss of regular and orderly atrial electrical activity, which is replaced by rapid and disorderly fibrillation waves. It is a serious disorder of atrial electrical activity. It usually shows irregular and fast heart rate, which is caused by the loss of normal rhythm of the atrium. Atrial fibrillation not only affects the quality of life of patients, but also causes thromboembolism, heart failure and other complications in severe cases. The most serious complication is stroke.
Atrial fibrillation is generally divided into the following categories according to the frequency and duration of attack:
1. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: duration ≤ 7 days (generally ≤ 48 hours);
2. Persistent atrial fibrillation: duration>7 days;
3. Long-term persistent atrial fibrillation: the duration is ≥ 1 year, and the patient has the desire to restore normal rhythm and receive corresponding treatment to restore sinus rhythm;
4. Permanent atrial fibrillation: lasting for more than 1 year, which cannot be stopped or recurred after termination. The doctor and the patient jointly decided to give up the restoration of sinus rhythm.
In addition to the above categories, there are some special types of atrial fibrillation in clinic, such as:
1. First diagnosis of atrial fibrillation: atrial fibrillation found in the first diagnosis;
2. Non-valve ward fibrillation: duration>1 year, refers to atrial fibrillation without rheumatic mitral stenosis, mechanical/biological valve replacement, mitral valve repair, etc;
3. Silent atrial fibrillation: also known as asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, refers to atrial fibrillation without clinical symptoms.
When you have atrial fibrillation, you can use the following app to monitor your heart rate, record it, and give it to the doctor for reference.
A free check atrial fibrillation app——”AFibCheck“：AFibCheck on the App Store (apple.com).
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