Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a genetic mutation that may be responsible for atrial fibrillation in families. They scanned the entire human genome and discovered a genetic mutation common to all family members with atrial fibrillation.
Mayo Clinic Finds Why Atrial Fibrillation Runs in Some Families
I was surprised to find no mention of “stress” as a factor in afib episodes. I had a lot of afib when I had a particularly stressful job. After leaving that job for a mellower one, I had normal heartbeats for several years. (A recent recurrence has caused me to start doing research, and that’s how I found this site.) I was cardioverted a couple of weeks ago, and it seems to be holding OK. I am getting lots of advice about caffeine (which seems to be incorrect, now that I’ve looked at the research) and alcohol (OK, so I quit) and daily exercise and losing weight. All these measures notwithstanding, my cardiologist says “it could come back anytime, or maybe never. We don’t have a way to predict or control it.”
Doug,
I’m sorry you have afib.
I agree. I was very surprised when I first started reading about afib all over the Internet – everything said it was caused by alchohol, drugs, or caffeine. That’s just not true for most of us.
Almost nothing mentioned stress, but if you talk with a group of folks who have afib, at least half, usually more, have correlated their afib with stress.
That’s why I wrote a blog post to raise the question, Does Stress Cause Atrial Fibrillation:
http://atrialfibrillationblog.com/does-stress-cause-atrial-fibrillation/
I also posted about caffeine as research found no correlation – see The Role of Coffee in Atrial Fibrillation:
http://atrialfibrillationblog.com/the-role-of-coffee-in-atrial-fibrillation/
However, it may be a problem for some, but not others. It may be that organic coffee is not a trigger, but non-organic is. It’s just so hard to say, and here’s why….
We just completed Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium last evening and this is my first comment since. Boston Afib is where afb doctors from around the world share the latest research findings and practical results. What really struck me this year is how afib is really a bunch of different conditions of the heart that manifest similarly. That would explain why we’re all “experiments of one”, and may cause some research to miss findings because of the multiplicity of manifestations and symptoms. And it appears to change over time, and can change after a procedure, too. That’s why a procedure may eliminate afib, but you may have flutter afterwards.
Living with atrial fibrillation is so frustrating. If something is there (i.e., heart disease, cancer, etc.), you know you can take action against it. But with afib, since you never know when or if it will kick up, you just don’t know what to do about it.
I am starting to come to the opinion – it’s stricly my opinion – that we need to do something about afib while it’s still intermittent (paroxysmal) because it’s so hard to deal with once it becomes chronic/persistent. I’m even more of that opinion at the conclusion of this year’s Boston Afib.
Good luck – I hope you never have another occurrence.
Mellanie
I believe my afib started when Covera hs was no
longer available in canada My ifid appeared
shortly after. What that the cause? I am 80 years old
and I always been very , very ,actice until to-day
I remember my mother complaning about her
irregular hearbeat She live until 90.
I do not know if I can get back to my regular
activities such, biking, golf,a little double tennis,
and some gym work?
Other than feeling a little funny at times – I can
tolerate the odd feelings I somethime get.
No pain, no beathing problem. Wish I could
get Covera hs again.
thank you for ..
george
George,
I’m sorry. If you can no longer get Covera HS in Canada, can you get the generic version of it, verapamil? Would that work?
Mellanie
For me eliminating coffee and teas daily is keeping my agin from showing I’ve substituted with a product called. Dandy blend. Also. Leaving alcohol is helping. A few drinks of wine occasionally. Makes me afib. Working on diet. Thankyou
For me. Stree or upsets emotionally. Are the worse triggers Superseding stimulants and sedative hypnotics /alcohol