What Causes Atrial Fibrillation?

Many times, it may not be possible to find a cause. These are some possible causes of AF:

Some types of heart disease

Stress/anxiety

Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, diet pills, or certain prescribed and over-the-counter medications (check with your doctor)

Occasionally, open heart surgery.

What Symptoms Could I Have?

You may experience one or more of the following symptoms with your arrhythmia:

Fluttering feeling in the chest

Abnormal and/or irregular pulse (heart beat)

Lack of energy

Faint feeling and/or dizziness

Chest pressure or discomfort

Shortness of breath.

What If I Leave AF Untreated?

If left untreated, these arrhythmias could cause a blood clot to form in the heart. This blood clot can travel through the blood stream to the brain or stay in the heart and cause a stroke or heart attack.

Because the heart is not working as well as it should in this irregular rhythm you may experience problems.