Signs & Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation Disease

Atrial fibrillation is a condition that occurs when the right and left atria of the heart, the two upper chambers, begin to beat at a quickened and random pace. The condition is normally diagnosed using results from a blood test and the results from a heart monitoring session. To treat the condition, your doctor may prescribe medication that regulates the rhythm of the heart. In extreme cases, a pacemaker may need to be installed.

Palpitations

• One of the more common symptoms of atrial fibrillation is heart palpitations. The person can feel the speeding up of his heartbeat, and at times it can feel as though his heart is pounding through his chest. His heart may feel like it has skipped a beat, or it may feel like it is beating so fast that it is fluttering. Heart palpitations can lead to an anxious feeling, and they can also lead to excessive sweating along with a quickened pulse.

Hypotension

• Hypotension is when the heart is not beating fast enough and not supplying enough oxygen-enriched blood to organs within the body. When hypotension begins to set in, the person may experience vision problems such as blurry vision, double vision or a loss of peripheral vision. The person may experience chronic fatigue and feel like she cannot get enough sleep. She may begin to develop confusion about how to do simple everyday tasks, and she may start to experience memory loss. She also may become dizzy and could faint.

Angina

• Angina is the chest pain that results from the heart beating too fast. The heart may feel as though it is not getting enough blood out to the rest of the body, so to compensate it begins to beat faster, which causes tremendous chest pains. Angina can also make the person feel weak, and it can cause him to have difficulty catching his breath.

Memory Loss

• When the brain is having difficulty getting the blood it needs, it will sometimes create symptoms due to a lack of oxygen. The person may begin to experience memory loss; she may have a difficult time remembering how to do simple tasks; and she may start to feel confused when there is a lot of stimulus to take in.

Chronic Atrial Fibrillation

• The Mayo Clinic considers chronic atrial fibrillation to be a condition that consistently shows symptoms until the person seeks out and receives treatment from a doctor. For many people the symptoms associated with atrial fibrillation come and go. They may last for a few hours, or they may last for a few days. Some people do not experience symptoms at all, and their condition is only discovered after they have undergone a medical examination.