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Find out if it's common for women to experience symptoms of atrial fibrillation.
Dr. Shukla:
Any patient with atrial fibrillation can have what we call symptomatic atrial fibrillation or asymptomatic atrial fibrillation where they do not feel episodes. It’s actually a crossover. So all patients with symptomatic episodes will have periods where they feel no symptoms at all.
The thought process behind that is that sometimes if the heart rate does not go fast enough, somebody may not perceive the symptoms, but very commonly you can have asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, and I actually feel that that is probably worse than having symptomatic atrial fibrillation.
Even though the symptoms can be very debilitating, at least it alerts a patient to seek medical attention so the right steps can be implemented to try and prevent a bad outcome from happening from the atrial fibrillation.
Generally, if the patient can’t feel that they’re having atrial fibrillation, medical attention is not sought after, and it can become a catastrophic event or a life-altering event as the first manifestation of the atrial fibrillation.
What Is Atrial Fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a kind of tachycardia — an abnormally fast heart rhythm. Frequently this arrhythmia is referred to as an irregular heart beat. A normal, steady heart rhythm typically beats 60-80 times a minute. In cases of AF, the rate of atrial impulses can range from 300-600 beats per minute (bpm). These very fast, irregular signals can cause a number of problems. First, the quivering atria no longer pump efficiently, and some blood may stay in the atria with each heartbeat. The pooled blood could possibly clot, increasing the risk of stroke.
Second, the many impulses coming from the atria are trying to follow the electrical pathway to the ventricles and make them contract at the same rate. Luckily, the AV node limits the number of signals that actually reach the lower chambers, so the whole heart usually does not contract at the 300 bpm rate. However, AF can cause your heart to race and does reduce the pumping efficiency. Like other forms of arrhythmia, AF may prevent the heart from pumping enough blood and oxygen to meet your body's needs.
AF is relatively common, affecting about 2-5 million Americans. Unlike ventricular fibrillation, atrial fibrillation is not usually considered life-threatening. However, if AF occurs over a length of time, it can lead to stroke or heart muscle damage congestive heart failure) and accelerated degeneration of the conduction system. People with AF are about five times more likely to have a stroke than the general population. This arrhythmia is responsible for 15-20% of all strokes.
Bio:
Himanshu H. Shukla, M.D., specializes in treating heart rhythm disorders and is founder of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (CAI) dedicated to providing heart care customized to the individual. Dr. Shukla is a member of the Heart Rhythm Society, has completed training at Columbia University in New York City, the University of Missouri and the University of Oklahoma. He is recognized for numerous published articles on the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, and by the American Heart Association for Outstanding Research. Dr. Shukla’s community works include raising awareness of heart rhythm disorders, safety and prevention measures through speeches, training and counsel; and contributing external defibrillators to local public schools and other entities.
Dr. Shukla has completed post doctoral training in electrophysiology at the University of Oklahoma/Oklahoma City which is recognized as a world leader in treating heart rhythm disorders, participating in an Advanced Fellowship in Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology. He also acquired post-doctoral training at the University of Missouri-Columbia, completing a Fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine, and spent his residency for internal medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons’ St. Luke’s–Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York.
In 2003, he was honored by the American Heart Association, receiving its third Annual Cardiology Fellows Forum of Excellence Award.
Dr. Shukla serves on the medical journal review boards of the Journal of Cardiovascular Research: Journal of the European Society of Cardiology; and the Heart Rhythm Journal, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society.
His work has been published on several occasions in medical journals such as the Heart Rhythm Journal; the Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology (JICE); Cardiovascular Research; and PACE, the official journal of the International Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology Society. His teachings include Advanced Physical Diagnosis as well as presently participating in an Electrocardiogram Lectureship at the Arizona State University School of Nursing.
Dr. Shukla speaks regularly throughout the country on the topic of heart arrhythmia, is recognized nationally by his peers on intervention, and is consulted often on the use and development of defibrillators, pacemakers and other devices to regulate the heart.
Founder of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute based in Mesa, Ariz., Dr. Shukla also leads a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing education and awareness of heart arrhythmia and contributes defibrillators to schools and other facilities within the community.
Dr. Shukla presently has a provisional patent application pending. He is fluent in Spanish and Gujurati.
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