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Link Between Diabetes And Atrial Fibrillation

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease caused by a lack of insulin (the hormone that helps get sugar out of your blood and into your cells) or a resistance to insulin leading to rise in blood glucose (sugar) levels. High glucose levels, over a period of time can damage you body, by affecting the various vital organs like your heart and how efficiently it beats. Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is a common heart condition that results in an arrhythmia (an abnormal heart rhythm). Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia with 2.7 and 6.1 million people in the United States having this condition. Some of the risk factors of AFib include age, obesity, hypertension, valvular heart disease, heart failure (HF), and obstructive sleep apnea. Some studies have reported diabetes mellitus (DM) to be an independent risk factor for AFib.


Your heart rhythm in Atrial Fibrillation:
It is the electrical impulses that pass through the walls of the four chambers of the heart that controls our heart rhythm. In a normal situation, an electrical impulse originates in one area of the atria (the upper two chambers) to trigger the muscles to push the blood along. However with atrial fibrillation, the electrical impulses are prompted from more than one area, leading to disorganized impulses going through the heart. This irregular heartbeat increases your risk for a stroke or heart failure, as this rapid heartbeat doesn’t allow your heart to pump effectively. 

Impact of diabetes on your heart:
Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. The major risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes- type 2 diabetes in particular, and other conditions like atrial fibrillation. Your risk for heart disease will go up if you leave diabetes unchecked or untreated. Also, having diabetes can increase your risk of AFib by up to 40 percent. Again, the longer you live with the condition (diabetes), the higher it goes.

Doctors exactly aren’t sure about the reason why diabetes is such a vital risk factor for AFib. They suggest it might be due to risk factors for AFib that are common to diabetes, such as high blood pressure, obesity, and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Another theory suggests inflammation and swelling caused by diabetes that may as well cause AFib. Another popular theory goes like that the fluctuating blood sugar levels may damage the myocardium (heart muscle tissue), which may cause changes in the heart’s electrical system in a way that isn’t completely understandable.

Link between Diabetes and AFib:
Diabetes doesn’t just increase your risk of developing AFib, it also can worsen it. If you have both diabetes and AFib, your symptoms may be worse than that of someone who just has AFib. Common symptoms of atrial fibrillation include

1.      Palpitations
2.      Weakness or fatigue (feeling tired all the time)
3.      Shortness of breath
4.      Confusion
5.      Lightheadedness or dizziness
6.      Chest pain

The symptoms of AFib can be periodic (infrequent), at the same time can also be persistent, lasting over a long time. You may as well have permanent AFib, which means your heart rhythm is permanently abnormal, for which you need to seek help right away to restore a normal heart rhythm.
Living with AFib:

You’ll most probably have to see a cardiologist for testing if you are experiencing AFib symptoms. If your symptoms are infrequent and are not affecting your life in any way, and you are devoid of any other signs of heart disease, your cardiologist will keep you under his watchful eyes where you’ll be monitored and watched for any signs of worsening. If you don’t show any signs of AFib, still your diabetes team will watch over you for problems associated with your heart, so if any problems are detected, those will be easier to treat because of early detection.

To know more about the lifesaving CPR classes or to join a CPR course, contact CPR Memphis in Tennessee on 901-438-4200.

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