Your Heart
Your heart is like your bodys main engine room. It is a powerful and important muscle that pumps blood throughout your body. This blood delivers oxygen and food to muscles and vital organs as it travels through an amazing network of blood vessels. This constant fuel supply is what helps you carry on all the things you do in your everyday life.
Your heart sits in the centre of your chest, between your lungs and is protected by your rib cage. It is about the size of your clenched fist. Your heart is made of four chambers, or rooms. The top two rooms are called atria. The bottom two rooms are called ventricles.
Each room has a valve that works like an automatic gate. The valve opens and closes, making sure blood only travels in one direction - similar to a one-way traffic system.
Your heart is powered to pump blood using its own electrical conduction system. You might have seen your hearts electrical activity on a graph if you have undergone a heart test called an electrocardiogram (ECG).
Your hearts electrical system is made up of three main parts:
A heartbeat is one cycle in which your hearts ventricles relax (diastole) and squeeze (systole) to pump blood. This cycle includes the opening and closing of the valves in your heart.
When your hearts ventricles relax, blood flows from the atria to the ventricles. Your hearts atria squeeze and pump blood into the ventricles. The atria then relax. The ventricles follow by squeezing, pumping blood out of your heart.
In a healthy heart, each heartbeat (electrical impulse) begins from the SA node in your heart muscle. This node acts as your hearts own in-built pacemaker. Your heart rate is the number of heartbeats the SA node produces per minute.
While you are resting your heart will beat between 60 and 100 times per minute. The pulse you can feel, for example at the artery in your wrist, is the heart pumping the blood. Health care professionals can measure the rate and rhythm of your heart by taking your pulse. The rate is the speed at which the beats occur and the rhythm is the frequency of each beat.
Sometimes your pulse will be faster or slower, depending on your health and whether you have exercised or are resting.
A fast heartbeat is known as Sinus tachycardia while Sinus bradycardia refers to a slow heartbeat. These are generally normal heart rhythms.
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a common type of irregular heart rhythm that causes poor blood flow to the body.
When you have AF, the top two rooms of your heart (atria) start making extra fast and irregular electrical signals. These extra signals make the atria twitch or quiver (known as fibrillation). These signals also affect your pulse, making it irregular and sometimes fast.
About 4 in every 100 people aged over 65 has AF, making it the most common type of irregular heart rhythm (known as arrhythmia).
Unfortunately AF carries a range ofsymptoms and risks.
Around 1% of the population (about 46,000 people) is affected by AF. Atrial fibrillation is often picked up during a medical examination for something else.
The risk of developing AF increases with age. It affects 4 in every 100 people over the age of 65 and 10 in every 100 people above 80 years old.
Atrial Fibrillation affects each person differently. Understanding the type of AF you have will help you manage your condition better.
There are 3 types of AF:
The symptoms of AF will vary between people. Some people will experience only mild symptoms while others will notice the symptoms in their daily life. You can have AF and have no symptoms.Other people may feel symptoms of AF straight away such as:
Over time, some people get used to being in AF and the symptoms are easier to deal with.
NOTE: Not all palpitations or irregular heartbeats are caused by AF. You may be experiencing early or extra beats (called ectopics) often caused by anxiety or stress. Most people who experience occasional ectopic beats generally dont need to worry as these are not usually caused by an underlying heart condition, do not need treatment and are not dangerous.
Know your AF Symptoms: Some of the symptoms of AF can be signs of other more serious health problems. It is important to talk to your health professional if you have any symptoms of AF or if these symptoms change or get worse.
The causes of AF are not always clear but the risk of developing AF increases with the followingrisk factors:
Top
See the rest here:
What is Atrial Fibrillation (AF)? - Heart Foundation NZ
- Muscular Dystrophy - OrthoInfo - AAOS - December 25th, 2017 [December 25th, 2017]
- Adult Stem Cells - Therapies and Treatments - January 3rd, 2018 [January 3rd, 2018]
- Stem Cell Treatment for Cerebral Palsy Beike Biotechnology - January 22nd, 2018 [January 22nd, 2018]
- Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Ulcerative Colitis - Drugs.com - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Eczema Symptoms | Causes | Treatments | Types | Triggers - March 2nd, 2018 [March 2nd, 2018]
- Atopic Eczema - Patient - March 12th, 2018 [March 12th, 2018]
- Arnold Schwarzenegger undergoes heart surgery | Film | The ... - April 4th, 2018 [April 4th, 2018]
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery - April 4th, 2018 [April 4th, 2018]
- Cardiac Surgery - University of California, San Francisco ... - April 4th, 2018 [April 4th, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy Spasticity in Children - Causes, Effects ... - May 6th, 2018 [May 6th, 2018]
- Cardiac catheterization - Mayo Clinic - May 22nd, 2018 [May 22nd, 2018]
- Welcome to the ABG Tutorial - Welcome to Hansen Nursing - May 22nd, 2018 [May 22nd, 2018]
- UKNEQAS for Molecular Genetics - May 23rd, 2018 [May 23rd, 2018]
- Congenital Heart Defects, Simplified - May 23rd, 2018 [May 23rd, 2018]
- Interventional radiology - Wikipedia - May 27th, 2018 [May 27th, 2018]
- Heart Rhythm Abnormalities (Arrhythmias) - NYP.org - May 30th, 2018 [May 30th, 2018]
- Cardiac rhythm abnormalities - symptoms and treatment ... - May 30th, 2018 [May 30th, 2018]
- Pediatric Heart Institute | Children's Hospital Vanderbilt - June 2nd, 2018 [June 2nd, 2018]
- Concentric Remodeling - Cardioserv - June 5th, 2018 [June 5th, 2018]
- Aegean Conferences - June 7th, 2018 [June 7th, 2018]
- 2018 Cardiac Regulatory Mechanisms Conference GRC - June 7th, 2018 [June 7th, 2018]
- Fight Heart Disease - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute - June 7th, 2018 [June 7th, 2018]
- NHS Direct Wales - Encyclopaedia : Ulcerative colitis - June 11th, 2018 [June 11th, 2018]
- Cannabis Treatment for Parkinson's Disease Green Rush Daily - June 11th, 2018 [June 11th, 2018]
- Diuretics - Pharmacology - Merck Veterinary Manual - June 18th, 2018 [June 18th, 2018]
- 2018 Multiscale Plant Vascular Biology Conference GRC - June 23rd, 2018 [June 23rd, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy Treatment | Birth Injury Guide - July 9th, 2018 [July 9th, 2018]
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology | University of Maryland ... - July 11th, 2018 [July 11th, 2018]
- Nuclear Medicine - Molecular Imaging - Nuclear Medicine ... - July 11th, 2018 [July 11th, 2018]
- Blood vessel - Wikipedia - July 12th, 2018 [July 12th, 2018]
- EBR Systems, Inc - July 17th, 2018 [July 17th, 2018]
- Coronary artery disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - July 29th, 2018 [July 29th, 2018]
- CV Physiology | Ventricular and Atrial Hypertrophy and ... - July 31st, 2018 [July 31st, 2018]
- Cardiac Surgery Advanced life Support - Home - August 2nd, 2018 [August 2nd, 2018]
- Cardiac Nursing Care: NCP - 5 Nursing Diagnosis for ... - August 2nd, 2018 [August 2nd, 2018]
- Welcome to Hansen Nursing - August 2nd, 2018 [August 2nd, 2018]
- TARA / Innovating predictive cardiac physiology - August 18th, 2018 [August 18th, 2018]
- Board of Directors Summary - Victor Chang Cardiac Research ... - August 18th, 2018 [August 18th, 2018]
- Wound Care - KRMC - September 19th, 2018 [September 19th, 2018]
- Welcome to the ABG Tutorial - Welcome to Hansen - October 13th, 2018 [October 13th, 2018]
- Sudden Death in Dogs - Pet Health Network - October 15th, 2018 [October 15th, 2018]
- gmcheart.com - Cardiovascular Services at Gwinnett Medical ... - November 14th, 2018 [November 14th, 2018]
- Interventional Cardiology | WVU Heart and Vascular Institute - November 21st, 2018 [November 21st, 2018]
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) | Symptoms and Causes - November 22nd, 2018 [November 22nd, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy | Boston Children's Hospital - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy | Cleveland Clinic - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis and Treatments | Gillette Children's ... - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral palsy | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center ... - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Spastic cerebral palsy - Wikipedia - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy - CHASA - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral Palsy Symptoms & Types - WebMD - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Cerebral palsy - NHS - November 27th, 2018 [November 27th, 2018]
- Ventricle (heart) - Wikipedia - December 4th, 2018 [December 4th, 2018]
- Cardiomyopathy - Wikipedia - December 5th, 2018 [December 5th, 2018]
- Cardiomyopathy - British Heart Foundation - December 5th, 2018 [December 5th, 2018]
- Cardiomyopathy | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ... - December 5th, 2018 [December 5th, 2018]
- Community Mental Health Centers - MS Department of Mental ... - December 9th, 2018 [December 9th, 2018]
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - December 23rd, 2018 [December 23rd, 2018]
- Dermatitis - Wikipedia - December 23rd, 2018 [December 23rd, 2018]
- Eczema Symptoms & Causes | National Eczema Association - December 23rd, 2018 [December 23rd, 2018]
- Eating too much added sugar increases the risk of dying ... - December 25th, 2018 [December 25th, 2018]
- Heart Diseases & Disorders - December 25th, 2018 [December 25th, 2018]
- 5 Types of Heart Disease Symptoms, Risk Factors, Causes ... - December 25th, 2018 [December 25th, 2018]
- Different heart diseases - World Heart Federation - December 25th, 2018 [December 25th, 2018]
- Cardiovascular disease - Wikipedia - December 25th, 2018 [December 25th, 2018]
- Cardiac arrest - Wikipedia - December 27th, 2018 [December 27th, 2018]
- What Is Arrhythmia? Symptoms, Treatment, Causes & Types - December 27th, 2018 [December 27th, 2018]
- Heart arrhythmia - Wikipedia - December 27th, 2018 [December 27th, 2018]
- The Heart Truth - Lower Heart Disease Risk - December 30th, 2018 [December 30th, 2018]
- What are the different types of heart disease? | Heart ... - December 30th, 2018 [December 30th, 2018]
- Radiofrequency ablation - Wikipedia - January 14th, 2019 [January 14th, 2019]
- Singanitropin HGH 100 IU by Singani Pharma - pharmacomstore.ws - February 9th, 2019 [February 9th, 2019]
- Photosynthesis - Definition, Equation and Products ... - March 6th, 2019 [March 6th, 2019]
- Cardiology Conferences | Cardiology World Congress 2019 ... - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- 2019 Tissue Repair and Regeneration Conference GRC - April 2nd, 2019 [April 2nd, 2019]
- The SHaRe Cardiomyopathy Registry - April 8th, 2019 [April 8th, 2019]
- Heart arrhythmia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - April 20th, 2019 [April 20th, 2019]
- Cardiac Rhythms | Lessons and Practice Strips - April 20th, 2019 [April 20th, 2019]