Atrial Fibrillation Blog

Since I posted a few days ago on Statins Help Women with Atrial Fibrillation, Hans Larsen, owner of the Lone Atrial Fibrillation Bulletin Board, created a great recap of studies related to inflammation and atrial fibrillation, including lone atrial fibrillation (afib without any underlying heart disease). It’s definitely worth checking out to find out more about inflammation.

Some findings he included were really fascinating, such as that being out of normal sinus rhythm can cause inflammation, rather than the other way around. Also, inflammation may not be as important in true lone atrial fibrillation.

Importantly, most studies on afib and inflammation have been on populations that were mostly men. That’s why the statin study is so unique - it’s an afib study in WOMEN, FINALLY! We know that afib is slightly different in women and it’s nice to finally have some afib studies that tell us what happens for women. 

So, if statins’ anti-inflammatory properties were beneficial for women (in this case, post-menopausal women with existing heart disease) by decreasing their atrial fibrillation risk, then natural anti-inflammatories should also be beneficial for many, if not most, women in decreasing their afib risk. We know that anti-inflammatories are beneficial to men, but it’s good to finally know that this applies to women as well.

Speaking of afib research on women, one study just presented at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting showed that women are way under-represented among those referred for catheter ablation. I know that to be the case for surgery as well.

So that means that if you’re a woman with afib, you just may have to be more proactive and assertive to find out all your options to get the atrial fibrillation treatment you deserve.

Tags: Inflammation, Prevention, Statins, Treatment, Women by Mellanie
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Post-menopausal women with existing heart disease have less risk of having or developing atrial fibrillation if they are taking statin drugs. This finding was reported at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco. It appears that it’s the anti-inflammatory properties of statins that cause this. More about study…

While the news stories say “older women benefit from taking statins” (the study focused just on post-menopausal women), it’s logical that it could apply to younger women as well (maybe men, too). Since inflammation causes heart disease and post-surgical atrial fibrillation, why shouldn’t something that reduces inflammation help reduce the risk of afib at any age? It seems logical.

I tell my audiences that heart disease is forever—once you have it you’re at risk for more heart disease, stroke, and other issues.  I believe that inflammation from all those chronic sinus infections (and a case of bronchitis) contributed to my heart disease at age 51 and may also have contributed to developing afib later that same year.

So if you’re a woman with Lone Atrial Fibrillation (atrial fibrillation without underlying heart disease), these results wouldn’t seem to apply to you. Or do they? I believe that many who have lone afib may also have undiagnosed heart disease. It’s heresy, I know, to say that. But since almost half of us will have (and die from) heart disease or stroke, is it logical to think that we just up and develop it one day? I don’t think so. Heart disease builds up over time, starting in our childhood.

So how could heart disease go undiagnosed in a woman? We’ve learned through the WISE (Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation) study that women’s heart disease is different from men’s and that tests that diagnose heart disease in men often aren’t as accurate for women. For example, treadmill stress tests accurately pick up heart disease in men about 2/3 of the time, but it’s only about 1/3 of the time in women. The same applies to other tests that work well for men. Women may need different tests to find their heart disease, so just because a test came back clean doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have any heart disease.  

So what can you do if you don’t want to take statin drugs? Lots of folks don’t. Would a naturally-occurring statin (such as red yeast rice) or a natural anti-inflammatory agent work? Logic says that they might, though I haven’t seen any randomized studies confirming that. (This isn’t medical advice - just my ramblings - so you’ll have to make your own decisions.) 

Bottom line for women: Finding ways to reduce inflammation could help control afib or reduce your risk of having it.

Does that work for men, too? Perhaps so.

For some ideas on naturally-occurring statins and natural anti-inflammatories check out these resources:

• Red Yeast Rice–Wikipedia
• Overview of Natural Anti-inflammatory Agents–Medscape
• Seven Ways to Protect Your Heart With Anti-Inflammatory Alternatives–Dr. Mercola

Tags: Causes or Triggers, Inflammation, Prevention, Statins, Treatment, Uncategorized, Women by Mellanie
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Atrial fibrillation is so sneaky. So is afib really stress in disguise? Afib seems to sneak up on you when you least expect it and you wonder “where did that come from?” It’s hard to pin down an atrial fibrillation cause or trigger when it’s different every time.

For some, it’s triggered by alcohol or caffeine. For others, by certain types of foods or food additives. For some, it may come on during exercise or from something as simple as bending over. For still others, eating late or sleeping on the left side triggers it. It varies all across the board.

In medical information you rarely see mention of stress causing afib, but I think that stress is a huge contributor. Of the patients I’ve interviewed, about 3/4 said that stress was a huge component in bringing on their afib episodes.

Stress certainly could be a factor that leads us to indulge in alcohol, caffeine, or certain foods. But is the food the cause, or is the stress the actual root cause?

Here’s a short video clip of what triggered my afib:
Mellanie True Hills talks about what triggered her atrial fibrillation

We know that the numbers of folks having afib is growing exponentially, which is generally chalked up to Baby Boomers hitting their 60s. But I also see so many younger folks struggling with afib and wonder if the stress epidemic that’s due to our 24/7 lifestyles is causing an afib epidemic, too.

What do you think? Does stress trigger afib for you?

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Tags: Causes or Triggers, Inflammation, Statins, Stress by admin
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