Is atrial fibrillation a serious arrhythmia?

Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
Updated on April 04, 2025
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Atrial fibrillation is a type of cardiac arrhythmia, primarily feared for its potential to form blood clots within the heart. These clots can travel to other organs via the bloodstream, most commonly to the brain. Additionally, pieces of these clots can also travel to coronary arteries causing myocardial infarction, leading to organ embolism wherever they lodge. Generally, if no blood clots are formed, many individuals with atrial fibrillation may not experience symptoms. However, if combined with other cardiac conditions such as heart failure or coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation can exacerbate the risk of developing these heart diseases. Thus, atrial fibrillation on its own is not severe but becomes concerning when associated with other cardiac conditions, increasing the risk of other heart diseases. If atrial fibrillation occurs with left or right accessory pathways, it may also lead to ventricular fibrillation, resulting in sudden death of the patient. Moreover, if the atrial fibrillation has no apparent cause, and the heart structure is normal with no symptoms, then such isolated atrial fibrillation does not typically form blood clots and is considered relatively mild.

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Written by Liu Ying
Cardiology
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Causes of arrhythmia

There are many causes of arrhythmia, which can be physiological or pathological. Pathological causes can originate from the heart itself or from other diseases. For instance, normal individuals might experience sinus arrhythmia, and circumstances such as staying up late, emotional excitement, or excessive fatigue can lead to premature beats or sinus tachycardia, among others. Other diseases, such as hyperthyroidism or fever, can cause an increased heart rate. For example, pulmonary embolism can lead to atrial fibrillation. Heart-related diseases, like heart failure, can cause ventricular premature beats, and diseases of the sinoatrial node itself can lead to sick sinus syndrome, among others.

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Written by Chen Tian Hua
Cardiology
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Arrhythmia is what?

Arrhythmia refers to abnormalities in the frequency, rhythm, origin, or conduction of the heartbeats. It can occur in healthy individuals as well as those with related diseases, and may involve cardiac diseases or other medical conditions. The primary mechanism behind the occurrence of arrhythmias is the abnormal formation of cardiac impulses or the abnormal conduction of these impulses. It is important to actively seek the causes of arrhythmias and control the factors that trigger them. For diseases associated with arrhythmias, proactive management is necessary. When severe arrhythmias occur, timely and effective treatment is crucial to prevent adverse outcomes.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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What department should I go to for arrhythmia?

Arrhythmia is generally treated in the department of cardiovascular medicine. What is arrhythmia? It mainly refers to abnormalities in the frequency, rhythm, origin, conduction speed, or excitation sequence of the heart's impulses. Based on the principles of arrhythmia occurrences, it can be divided into two major categories: abnormalities in impulse formation and abnormalities in impulse conduction. Abnormalities in impulse formation include sinus arrhythmias and ectopic rhythms, while abnormalities in impulse conduction include interference atrioventricular dissociation, sinoatrial conduction block, intra-atrial conduction block, atrioventricular conduction block, and bundle branch block, among others.

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Written by Liu Yong
Cardiology
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Is arrhythmia very harmful?

Firstly, arrhythmias, whether supraventricular or ventricular, are harmful to the human body. However, ventricular arrhythmias tend to be more damaging. Supraventricular arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia and atrial tachycardia, generally have a minimal impact on hemodynamics. However, they may still cause symptoms in patients such as palpitations, chest tightness, or even fatigue, a series of discomforting symptoms, but generally do not pose a life-threatening risk. However, ventricular arrhythmias are different, as they can cause disturbances in the body's hemodynamics, leading to ischemia and failure of various organs. Therefore, the harm they cause is significant, and they may even lead to sudden cardiac death. Hence, aggressive treatment and management of ventricular arrhythmias are necessary.

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Why does arrhythmia cause chest pain?

The causes of chest pain due to arrhythmias primarily involve all kinds of arrhythmias reducing the blood flow in the coronary arteries. Although various arrhythmias can decrease coronary blood flow, they rarely cause myocardial ischemia. However, severe arrhythmias that cause significant myocardial ischemia can result in chest pain. For patients with coronary heart disease, various arrhythmias can induce or exacerbate myocardial ischemia, which may also manifest as chest pain and shortness of breath, and in severe cases, lead to acute heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and persistent, unbearable chest pain and tightness.