Director of cardiac electrophysiology and Banner Health clinical associate professor at the University of Arizona and Stanford University, Dr. Wilber Su, is here to tell us what a racing heartbeat could be telling you.
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is the most common heart rhythm abnormality. Just because it's common doesn't make it any less severe. It can cause heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, and other unpleasant symptoms. It's the leading cause of heart failure and stroke, says Dr. Su.
Some of the symptoms are mistaken as signs of getting older. This causes it to often go untreated until more serious symptoms occur, like a stroke. However, it can be treated. Things like medication and ablation, which has become the first line of defense, even before medication is tried.
