An irregular heartbeat, called atrial fibrillation or AFib, increases your risk of stroke by five times. AFib affects more than 2.7 million Americans, many over age 60. This September, during National AFib Awareness Month, the American Heart Association is teaching those at highest risk how to spot and manage AFib to avoid stroke.
AFib can have symptoms such as an irregular feeling heartbeat, shortness of breath and lightheadedness or it can have no symptoms at all. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms of AFib, your stroke risk is still increased five-fold.
Stroke risks are increased because when the heart is in AFib, it is not moving blood effectively around the heart. Blood pools and clots can form. When the clot is pumped out of the heart, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
That’s what happened to Carl Romero of Hamilton, New Jersey. Four years ago, while working out with his son, Romero, now 48, experienced an erratic heartbeat and pounding in his chest. That led him to his doctors who diagnosed him with AFib. Seven months later he went on to have a stroke. The experience opened his eyes about the need for major lifestyle changes.
“This forced me to really be conscious of my AFib and take note of what I was putting in my body and how it was affecting me,” Romero said. “Be empowered to do the things you can do. Changing diet isn’t a doctor’s decision – it’s the patient’s.”
Hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and heart failure are major risk factors for AFib. If you suspect you have AFib, meet with your doctor. AFib can be managed, helping you avoid stroke and live a longer, healthier life. Because AF can be tricky to find, it may also be an underlying condition in cryptogenic stroke patients.
To access resources for AFib Awareness Month, visit heart.org/afibawareness. For those living with atrial fibrillation, the American Heart Association has developed resources including a symptom tracker, tips for dealing with AFib in all areas of your life and a community of survivors at MyAFibExperience.org.