I48.2: Chronic atrial fibrillation

You constantly have atrial fibrillation.

The heart pumps blood through the body. Inside the heart are 4 chambers. There are 2 heart atria and 2 ventricles. Both heart atria and both ventricles are separated from each other by a partition. The heart's electrical currents flow within the heart. The heart's electrical activity causes the heart muscle to contract. It begins at a site in your right atrium. Initially the electrical activity spreads to both atria. The electrical activity then flows on via a sort of cable to the ventricles.

Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder. With atrial fibrillation, the electrical pulses in the atria occur in a disordered way and follow one other far too quickly. As a result, the atria are only able to contract in a limited way or are entirely unable to contract. The heart's currents spread through the heart erratically. As a result, the heart beats irregularly and, often, too quickly. The heart may also beat at its normal speed or too slowly. If the heart beats irregularly, each beat pumps different volumes of blood to the body.

There can be various reasons for atrial fibrillation. Reasons include, for example, high blood pressure, other heart conditions, and thyroid gland disorders. Atrial fibrillation can also occur for no particular reason.

Atrial fibrillation may not be accompanied by any symptoms at all. This is typically the case if the atrial fibrillation has existed for a long time. But atrial fibrillation may also lead to a range of complaints. For example, you can experience palpitations or an irregular heartbeat. You may feel dizzy or restless. You may become less productive. With atrial fibrillation, blood clots can form in the atria. A blood clot is a clump of clotted blood. The blood clots can move from the heart into the body and cause problems.