The Beat Goes On:
Living with Atrial Fibrillation
Why is AFib a Problem?
Explore how AFib can affect your health.
AFib is not always a dangerous rhythm, but AFib can cause problems.
Symptoms of AFib (fatigue, weakness, tiredness, low energy, shortness of breath) can lead to a lower quality of life.
The irregular heart beat with AFib can cause blood clots to form in the heart. The most common place for blood clots to form is in the left atrial appendage. When the clots break loose and move into the blood, it is known as thromboembolism. The clots can move to the brain, which may cut off the blood supply a cause a stroke.
This picture shows how a blood clot can travel from the heart to the brain, causing a stroke.
The fast and irregular heartbeats of AFib can make the heart weak. This is called heart failure.
If you already have heart failure, AFib may make it worse. Treating your AFib may make your heart failure better.
This picture shows a normal heart (on the left) and a heart with heart failure (on the right). See how the heart with heart failure is very large. It does not pump as well as the normal heart.
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