THE ESSENTIAL
- Antiarrhythmic drugs are also used in cases of atrial fibrillation to decrease heart rate.
- According to health insurance, 20 to 30 percent of strokes are secondary to atrial fibrillation.
In France, 1% of the general population has atrial fibrillation, according to health insurance. And the percentage of people affected by this heart rhythm disorder – also called atrial fibrillation – increases with age: more than 10% of people over 80 suffer from it.
Atrial fibrillation requires daily treatment
Atrial fibrillation is a condition that causes the heart to race and beat irregularly. The heart muscle is made up of four main parts: two atria in the upper part and two ventricles in the lower part, placed respectively to the right and to the left of the organ. In atrial fibrillation, the electrical activity of the muscles in both atria is rapid and disorganized, causing the atria and ventricles to contract poorly. The heart rhythm is then disturbed, the heart beats irregularly.
In general, to treat atrial fibrillation, patients undergo lifelong treatment. In particular, they take anticoagulants that thin the blood, prevent the appearance of clots and reduce the risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and arterial thrombosis. There are two types of anticoagulants: vitamin K antagonists (VKA), to be taken preferably in the evening, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOA), whose intake time is to be defined with the doctor.
Atrial fibrillation: ndo not stop your treatment
L’Health insurance recommends that patients take their medications every day at the scheduled times to allow lasting control of the disease and reduce the risk of complications. Also, it is not recommended to stop treatment.
To take your care well you can, for example, use reminders, put an alarm on your mobile phone, write the dosage on the medicine boxes or set up a pillbox system, filled in advance, with the daily doses for the week.
Finally, in addition to pharmacological treatments, other lifestyle measures must be observed in the case of atrial fibrillation: stop smoking, avoid being overweight, follow a balanced diet, do not drink too much coffee or alcohol and, as often, practice a regular activity physics .
