If you take a look at a list of risk factors for atrial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heart rhythm, “advanced age” is probably on the list. These days, though, it’s also being diagnosed in younger adults.
When your heart is functioning normally, you probably don’t think about it often. But when you develop an arrhythmia like atrial fibrillation, it can impact your health in a major way.
Atrial fibrillation, often called AFib, is a type of arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. When a person has AFib, the beating of the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) is irregular. This irregular beating disrupts the normal function of the heart, and blood doesn’t flow efficiently from those upper chambers into the lower chambers (the ventricles).
AFib is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder, affecting millions of people in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 12.1 million Americans will have atrial fibrillation by 2030.
Most people diagnosed with the condition are 65 or older, but recent research found that younger adults can develop AFib, too—probably more often than previously thought. Keep reading to learn more.
The Dangers of Atrial Fibrillation
When the heart’s upper chambers beat abnormally, it keeps them from pumping blood to the ventricles. The blood then remains in the atria, where it can pool up and sometimes form blood clots.
When a blood clot forms, it can be pumped from the heart to other parts of the body, including the brain. Because of that, someone with AFib has a significantly higher risk of having a stroke than a person without AFib.
Approximately 15 to 20 percent of all strokes are associated with atrial fibrillation. Untreated AFib not only causes a fivefold increased risk of stroke, but it’s also associated with a higher risk of heart-related death, such as cardiac arrest.
The good news is that atrial fibrillation can be treated and managed in a way that lowers that risk. When someone is diagnosed with the condition, a number of treatment options may be recommended, including medications to prevent blood clots or to control the heart’s rhythm, heart-healthy lifestyle changes, and surgical procedures and implants.
Understanding Your Risk for Atrial Fibrillation
The CDC notes that “the risk for AFib increases with age.” That’s in part due to the fact that high blood pressure is more common among older adults—and high blood pressure is a leading cause of atrial fibrillation.
Other risk factors include:
- A family history of AFib or other heart diseases
- Diabetes
- Enlargement of the chambers on the left side of the heart
- European ancestry
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Heart disease
- Heart failure
- Hyperthyroidism
- Illegal drug use
- Kidney disease
- Lung diseases such as COPD
- Recent surgery on the heart, lungs, or esophagus
- Smoking
What’s the connection with younger adults? A study found that atrial fibrillation is more common among younger people than previously thought.
The study examined the medical records of more than 67,000 people diagnosed with AFib. Research showed that while the average age of AFib onset among patients was 72, nearly one-quarter of AFib patients were younger than age 65.
The findings also shine a light on how dangerous atrial fibrillation can be for younger people. Men younger than age 65 were up to 1.5 times more likely to die within 10 years than someone without the condition, while women in that group were up to 2.4 times more likely to die.
Why has there been an increase in AFib cases among those younger than age 65? There are probably at least two factors at play—for one, better diagnostic tools mean an increase in diagnoses in all age groups. But younger adults also increasingly have many of the risk factors for atrial fibrillation, including other medical conditions and poor lifestyle habits.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Heart
Effectively treating AFib saves lives. To ensure you get the care you need for this condition and others affecting your heart, it’s important to be proactive—no matter how young you are.
Knowing the symptoms of atrial fibrillation is a good first step. In many cases, people who have the heart rhythm disorder don’t experience noticeable symptoms, at least not when it first develops. But it can cause symptoms, including:
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Dizziness or fainting
- Extreme fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Low blood pressure
- Shortness of breath
These symptoms can all be associated with other serious heart health issues, including a heart attack, so it’s important to seek medical attention if you’re experiencing them. Checking in with a medical provider can help you get a diagnosis and an appropriate treatment plan to protect your health.
It’s also important to take a thoughtful look at the AFib risk factors listed above. While you can’t change your family medical history, your anatomy, or your ancestry, you can control many of the risk factors.
Practicing healthy lifestyle habits, including regular exercise and a heart-healthy diet, can help lower your risk. Quitting smoking, not using illicit drugs, and moderating your alcohol consumption are other steps you can take.
If you have a medical condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, work with your medical providers to manage your condition. The lifestyle habits above can help, and your provider may also recommend taking medications to keep your numbers in a healthy range.
Knowing you have risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation—and the life-threatening health issues it can cause—can be the start of a conversation with your primary care provider or a cardiologist. Your provider can take a look at your risk and offer suggestions that can help you lower that risk. Prevention is often the best medicine.
When your heart’s at stake, you can rely on the team of cardiovascular experts at West Tennessee Healthcare Heart & Vascular. We can diagnose and treat a full spectrum of heart health issues, including AFib.
