Joint project with
. This link opens in a new tab.
Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation
Reading time: 1 min
Palpitations. This is the most common symptom of atrial fibrillation and occurs when patients notice a change in their heartbeat, normally an irregular rhythm. This sensation may disappear in a few minutes or hours, alternatively it could last longer. Patients may feel dizzy or even lose consciousness during episodes of atrial fibrillation, especially if their heart rate is very high or low. However, in most cases when people notice palpitations they are not due to atrial fibrillation.
Non-definitive symptoms. Atrial fibrillation often causes some vague symptoms (tiredness, fatigue, and so on) due to a variety of reasons. On other occasions it does not produce any symptoms. In some cases, atrial fibrillation is only diagnosed by chance when the individual undergoes an electrocardiogram or has their pulse taken during a routine checkup.
Cardiovascular diseases. Sometimes previously undetected atrial fibrillation is only diagnosed after the patient suffers one of its associated complications (stroke or heart failure).
Clinical signs of Atrial Fibrillation
The most common sign is the observation of a totally irregular heartbeat with an abnormal rhythm. This heartbeat is usually identified relatively easily in the arterial pulse at the level of the wrist (radial pulse) or the neck (carotid pulse) or palpation of the heartbeat directly in the chest.
Joint project with
. This link opens in a new tab.
Sorry this content wasn't helpful to you. Send us your comment and we will take it into account to continue improving.
Thanks for your help!
An error has occurred and we were unable to send your opinion, please try again later.
Substantiated information by:
Alba Cano Valls
Nurse
Atrial Fibrillation Unit
Eduard Guasch Casany
Josep Lluís Mont Girbau
Cardiologist
Atrial Fibrillation Unit
Manel Castellà Pericas
Cardiac Surgeon
Cardiovascular Surgery Head of Department
Published: 27 November 2018
Updated: 27 November 2018
The donations that can be done through this webpage are exclusively for the benefit of Hospital Clínic of Barcelona through Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica and not for BBVA Foundation, entity that collaborates with the project of PortalClínic.
Subscribe
Receive the latest updates related to this content.
Thank you for subscribing!
If this is the first time you subscribe you will receive a confirmation email, check your inbox
An error occurred and we were unable to send your data, please try again later.
