Introduction
Whether or not one falls ill with atrial fibrillation depends on various factors. The risk of the disease increases with age and it affects about 1% of adults worldwide. There are a number of risk factors that can promote the development of atrial fibrillation. Some chronic conditions, such as long-standing high blood pressure (arterial hypertension), heart disease, diabetes mellitus and thyroid dysfunction can negatively influence the development of atrial fibrillation.
Causes
Causes for atrial fibrillation can be:
- High blood pressure
- High age
- Heart diseases (heart valve defects, heart muscle weakness)
- Diabetes mellitus
- Thyroid gland diseases
- Lung diseases (for example chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD))
- Sleep Apnea Syndrome
- Renal diseases
- Stress
- Mental stress
- Alcohol consumption
- Genetics
High blood pressure (arterial hypertension) is a chronic disease, which is often detected late because no pain is caused. This means that the increased blood pressure can put a strain on the cardiovascular system over a long period of time. By definition, elevated blood pressure is more than 140/90 mmHg when blood pressure is measured, whereas the normal value is 120/60 mmHg.
High blood pressure is one of the most common risk factors for atrial fibrillation. If arterial hypertension is present, the risk of developing atrial fibrillation increases 1.5-fold in men and 1.4-fold in women. Hypertension is the main cause of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (seizure-like, recurrent).
The probability of developing atrial fibrillation is 25 to 50% in patients with high blood pressure. High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of atrial fibrillation, but one that can be treated therapeutically. It has long been known that psychological stress can damage the heart.
Triggers for stress can be everyday stress like noise or time pressure, pressure to perform or problems in the family. In stressful situations our body activates the so-called autonomic nervous system and stress hormones are released. The blood pressure rises and the heartbeat is accelerated.
After coping with a stressful situation, the body functions return to normal and you relax. If stress loads last for a long time and are repeated frequently, an imbalance between tension and relaxation develops. The heart is stressed and the vessels are permanently damaged.
Chronic stress can cause high blood pressure, increased blood lipids and deposits in the vessels (arteriosclerosis). In the long term, cardiac dysrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation can occur and have serious consequences such as a heart attack or stroke. Stress is a cause of atrial fibrillation that can be avoided by changing one’s lifestyle in a healthy way, individually avoiding stressful situations and, if necessary, taking medication in case of existing damage to the cardiovascular system.
Even regular alcohol consumption in moderate amounts increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. The risk of cardiac dysrhythmia increases with the alcohol level. When we drink alcohol, it leads to various processes in our body and cardiovascular system.
The alcohol causes the vessels to dilate, which means that our blood “sinks” in the vessels and causes a drop in blood pressure. This explains the frequently reddened cheeks when drinking alcohol. Despite the drop in blood pressure, drinking alcohol results in increased water excretion: it is well known that people who drink beer have to go to the toilet more often.
The body reacts to the drop in blood pressure and water loss by activating the sympathetic nervous system. Hormones are released which raise blood pressure and increase the heart rate. With regular alcohol consumption the heart is stressed, cardiac arrhythmia up to atrial fibrillation can occur and in the long term even blood pressure rises (compensatory).
It is known that there is a connection between the occurrence of atrial fibrillation and psychological causes. Many patients who suffer from the form paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in particular suffer from depression, sleep disorders and little movement. Psychological causes can cause mild cardiac arrhythmia up to atrial fibrillation.
It is important to talk about psychological stress in conversation with the cardiologist in order to be able to treat the disease in a targeted manner.Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac arrhythmia that occurs more frequently with increasing age. Approximately one in four people over the age of 40 will develop atrial fibrillation during their lifetime and about 10% of people over the age of 80 have atrial fibrillation. One percent of adults worldwide are affected by the disease.
Old age is a serious risk factor for the disease atrial fibrillation. In coronary artery disease (CHD), the coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygen are no longer able to supply the heart with sufficient amounts of oxygen, partly due to illness. This can disrupt the electrical excitation in the heart tissue, which is responsible for the rhythmic contraction and pumping of the heart muscle.
This means that coronary heart disease can cause cardiac arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation. CHD-related atrial fibrillation occurs when the heart muscle cells in the atria are no longer able to pump synchronously. Heart valve defects often remain undetected for a long time and can have different symptoms, depending on the respective heart valve and the type of defect.
Different symptoms can occur because the heart’s performance is impaired over the long term, for example shortness of breath, exhaustion and cardiac arrhythmia. Since cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation can have various causes, a thorough cardiological examination is necessary to identify the heart valve defects and treat them accordingly. The term cardiomyopathy describes diseases of the myocardium, i.e. the heart muscles, which are associated with a mechanical or electrophysiological dysfunction of the heart.
In addition to complaints such as shortness of breath, chest pain and dizziness, cardiac arrhythmia can occur, including atrial fibrillation. Cardiomyopathy, which affects the electrophysiology, can be the cause of atrial fibrillation. In the case of a cardiac insufficiency, also known as cardiac insufficiency, the pumping capacity of the heart is lower than in healthy people.
The disease often progresses insidiously and gradually the pumping capacity is less sufficient to transport the oxygen-rich blood to the organs. If a heart muscle weakness is not treated, complications can arise and the heart muscle weakness can “decompensate”. This can lead to a state of shock with a drop in blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation.
An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) accelerates the entire metabolism and increases blood pressure and heart rate. Symptoms in the cardiovascular system can be:. Cardiac arrhythmia often manifests itself as atrial fibrillation and sinus tachycardia.
If left untreated, a pronounced hyperthyroidism can lead to dangerous complications with a strongly accelerated pulse (tachycardia) up to coma and circulatory failure. A sudden loss of blood flow to the brain and strokes can be life-threatening. In order to avoid arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation and complications such as strokes, it is necessary to treat a thyroid dysfunction in a targeted manner and to adjust it correctly with medication.
- An accelerated pulse or palpitations
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
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