What are The Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation

Home > Diseases & Conditions > Heart disease > What are The Diagnosis of Atrial FibrillationThe evaluation of patients who develop atrial fibrillation includes a medical history and physical examination, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and an echocardiogram (cardiac echo). The doctor usually asks if there is a history of heart problems (such as heart attack) or chest pains (which might suggest coronary artery disease); if they suddenly develop a sensation of shortness of breath and chest pains (which can suggest that a blood clot has broken off from a blood vessel in the legs and traveled to the lungs); if they are losing weight or feel hot all the time (symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland); or if they regularly consume alcohol.
During the physical examination, the doctor usually feels the chest to see if the heart feels enlarged, listens with a stethoscope for sounds suggestive of leaky or sticky (stenotic) heart valves (heart murmurs), listens to the lungs for fluid congestion, feels the thyroid gland (located at the base of the neck) to determine if it is enlarged, and may test the reflexes (e.g., tapping the knee with a small rubber hammer) for signs of an overactive thyroid gland.
The diagnosis of atrial fibrillation is made by obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG). The ECG creates a graph that represents the normal phases of activation of the heart. When patients' hearts beat normally in sinus rhythm, separate little bumps and lines indicate when the atria contract and when the ventricles contract. In patients with atrial fibrillation, the bumps showing organized contraction of the atria are no longer present. Instead, there are irregular, squiggly lines. The ECG can also suggest recent or past heart attack, inflammation of the pericardium, or a blood clot that has traveled to the lungs.
trial fibrillation is associated with many heart conditions -- underlying heart valve disease, longstanding hypertension, coronary artery disease, pericarditis, cardiac surgery, heart failure, and virtually all other varieties of heart disorders.
There are also non-cardiac conditions that can lead to atrial fibrillation. Hyperthyroidism (high thyroid levels) is commonly accompanied by atrial fibrillation. On occasion, hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels) can also be accompanied by atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation also can accompany acute pulmonary (lung) conditions like pulmonary embolus (blood clot in the lung) or pneumonia. Ingestion of caffeine, amphetamines or other stimulants (such as cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine) can cause atrial fibrillation in some people, as well as after drinking as few as two or three alcoholic beverages -- a condition known as " Holiday Heart."
When an underlying cause can be identified for atrial fibrillation, then treating that underlying cause will often eliminate the arrhythmia.
Often, There Is No Clear Reason for AF
In many - probably most - patients, no particular underlying cause for atrial fibrillation can be identified, in which case the atrial fibrillation is said to be "idiopathic." ("Idiopathic" is medical science's way of saying, "we don't know what the heck is causing it.")
The odds of getting idiopathic atrial fibrillation are related to one's age. With each successive decade of life, the risk increases, so that while atrial fibrillation is rare in patients under 50, it becomes quite common among people in their 80s and 90s.
When idiopathic atrial fibrillation is seen in younger patients (those below the age of 50), the term "lone atrial fibrillation" is frequently used. This term reflects the fact that no identifiable cause for the arrhythmia is present, so it is the "lone" abnormality present. Most patients with lone atrial fibrillation are usually in a normal heart rhythm, but have episodes of the arrhythmia that are of varying frequency and duration (that is, they have "paroxysmal" atrial fibrillation). What are The Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
What are The Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation
What are The Causes of Atrial Fibrillation
What Is Atrial Fibrillation? Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
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Bradycardia - Slow Heart Rhythms Signs and Symptoms
How Should PVCs Be Treated?
Premature Ventricular Contractions - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention- PVCs
What Causes PACs? Premature Atrial Complexes
The Cardiac Electrical System - How the Heart Beats