THE ESSENTIAL
- Anti-arrhythmic drugs are also used in cases of atrial fibrillation to decrease the frequency of heartbeats.
- According to Health Insurance, 20 to 30% of strokes are secondary to atrial fibrillation.
In France, 1% of the general population has atrial fibrillation, according to health insurance. And the percentage of people affected by this heart rhythm disorder – also called atrial fibrillation – increases with age: more than 10% of people over 80 suffer from it.
Atrial fibrillation requires daily treatment
Atrial fibrillation is a condition that causes the heart to accelerate and beat irregularly. The heart muscle is made up of four main parts: two atria on the upper part and two ventricles on the lower part, respectively placed on the right and on the left of the organ. In atrial fibrillation, the electrical activity of the muscles of both atria is rapid and disorganized, causing the atria and ventricles to contract poorly. The heart rhythm is therefore disturbed, the heart beats irregularly.
In general, to treat atrial fibrillation, patients undergo lifelong treatment. In particular, they take anticoagulants which thin the blood, prevent the appearance of clots and reduce the risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and arterial thrombosis. There are two types of anticoagulants: vitamin K antagonists (AVK), to be taken preferably in the evening, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOA), the time of taking of which is to be defined with the doctor.
Fibrillation atriale : ndo not interrupt his treatment
L’Health Insurance recommends that patients take their medications every day at the scheduled times to allow long-lasting control of the disease and reduce the risk of complications. It is also not recommended to interrupt its treatment.
To take your treatment well, you can, for example, use reminders, put an alarm on your mobile phone, write the dosage on the medicine boxes or set up a pill box system, filled in advance, with the daily doses. for the week.
Finally, in addition to drug treatments, other lifestyle measures must be observed in the event of atrial fibrillation: quit smoking, avoid being overweight, eat a balanced diet, do not drink too much coffee or alcohol and, as often, practicing regular physical activity.
