Atrial fibrillation is a disease of old age.

Ho Chi Minh City , Ms. Tinh, 75 years old, often feels tired and has palpitations. She thought it was due to old age, but the doctor discovered she had atrial fibrillation, which causes arrhythmia.

On October 27, Master, Doctor, Specialist II Huynh Thanh Kieu, Head of Department of Cardiology 1, Cardiovascular Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that after 4 cycles of medical treatment with drugs to control blood pressure, heart rate, and lipid disorders, Ms. Tinh's atrial fibrillation is now under control. She no longer has chest pain or difficulty breathing and can go about her daily activities normally.

A year ago, she occasionally had palpitations and felt tired when exerting herself. Because she was old and used to moving a lot, she thought it was normal and just needed to rest.

When her heart was beating erratically, feeling like it was "jumping out of her chest", having difficulty breathing, and losing weight, she was taken to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for emergency treatment. The doctor diagnosed atrial fibrillation, a rapid, irregular heartbeat that causes blood to stagnate and form blood clots scattered in the atria.

According to Dr. Kieu, if not treated early, these blood clots risk moving from the heart to other blood vessels in the body. When they travel to the brain, they block the blood supply, causing a stroke.

After three days of medical treatment, her condition improved significantly, her heart rate was steady at 60 beats/minute, and her palpitations stopped. She was discharged from the hospital and continued outpatient treatment.

Ms. Tinh exercises at home after treatment. Photo: Thanh Toan — Ms. Tinh exercises at home after treatment. Photo: *Thanh Toan*

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Nguyen Vinh, Director of the Cardiovascular Center, said that atrial fibrillation is the most common and dangerous form of arrhythmia. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke fivefold, the risk of heart failure threefold, and this rate continues to increase with age. Many people do not know they have the disease until they are hospitalized for a stroke.

Associate Professor Vinh cited research showing that about 20% of stroke cases due to atrial fibrillation are at risk of death within 28 days. Cases often progress severely, requiring prolonged hospitalization and costly treatment.

Associate Professor Vinh advises a patient. Photo: Thanh Toan — Associate Professor Vinh advises a patient. Photo: *Thanh Toan*

If atrial fibrillation is treated properly (using medication, cardioversion, radiofrequency ablation, pacemaker implantation, surgery), heart failure, blood clots, and stroke can be prevented. Regular screening helps reduce the number of strokes and heart failure caused by atrial fibrillation.

Associate Professor Vinh recommends that the elderly, young people with underlying diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease, arrhythmia...), people who have had a stroke or have relatives with this disease, overweight - obese people... should see a cardiologist for screening and treatment.

Thu Ha

At 2:00 p.m. on October 28, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, organized a free consultation program on atrial fibrillation and arrhythmia at Tam Anh Research Institute (2B Pho Quang, Ward 2, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City).

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Nguyen Vinh and Dr. Tran Vu Minh Thu directly consulted and answered questions during the program. Participants had the chance to draw lucky numbers to receive a screening package for atrial fibrillation, a general cardiovascular examination worth nearly 4 million VND per package and many other gifts. Readers can register to attend here.

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