AFib Awareness Month at Dignity Health Central Coast
Jarrod Zinn
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Dignity Health Central Coast is calling attention to September as A-Fib Awareness Month, raising a caution flag.
Physicians want the public to be aware of what they’re calling a hidden danger, which many may not be aware they already have.
A-Fib, or atrial fibrillation, is an irregular heartbeat, often fast, and occurs when the upper chambers of the heart–the atria–lose coordination and beat erratically, out of sync with the lower ventricles.
This can cause problems with blood flow leading to dizziness and fatigue, and increased risk of blood clotting and stroke.
“It’s a very important problem because atrial fibrillation can cause increase in risk of stroke,” says Dr. Ragesh Panikkath, a cardiac electrophysiologist at French Hospital in San Luis Obispo. “So there’s a five times increased risk of stroke, three times increased risk of heart failure, twice the risk of mortality in patients who have atrial fibrillation than who don’t have atrial fibrillation.”
Factors that can contribute to A-Fib include diabetes, obesity and thyroid conditions, as well as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and sleep apnea.
“The most common symptom is tiredness and shortness of breath, which someone could easily, think could be due to something else rather than being due to atrial fibrillation,” says Dr. Panikkath.
Doctors refer to A-Fib as a hidden danger because many who have it don’t feel anything wrong for long periods of time.
“That’s why more awareness is needed about this problem,” says Dr. Panikkath.
Research shows that between 2.5 and 6 million Americans are estimated to be directly affected by A-Fib, and the figure is only predicted to rise.
“There are more patients or people with atrial fibrillation than all the cancers combined,” says Dr. Panikkath. “It’s a huge number and many people are unaware about it in the population because they don’t feel it or they might just feel they’re getting older or have little shortness of breath because of aging. But in fact atrial fibrillation is causing it.”
There are medical and consumer grade technologies such as the Apple watch on the market and in development making early detection possible.
Physicians still advise a healthy lifestyle, regular screenings, and open communication with your doctor.
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