Atrial Fibrillation is an irregular heart beat that can have significant health effects. Not all atrial fibrillation is alike, and it is the end point of multiple factors that have inflamed the heart muscle and caused it to react as it does.
Just like a fever can be caused by multiple things it is the symptomatic expression of other issues. That is what makes it so hard to treat; there is no “one fits all” strategy. Also, much of the treatment has been devoted to older adults with lots of other co-morbidities.
Unfortunately there is an epidemic of young and middle aged , apparently fit people with this problem. So much so that some Italian researchers have come up with a new term for this subgroup: PAFIYAMA syndrome. Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Young and Middle Aged Athletes.
We are seeing this large group of patients emerge as baby boomers and generation-x reach middle age and beyond. The baby boomers are where the weekend warrior "chronic cardio" began and gen-x took it to an exponential degree. Triathlon, Ironman triathlon, marathons, ultra-marathons, mountain running, adventure racing, Crossfit for strength, “high intensity interval training” for 1 hour a day.
A group of sedentary workers training regularly above their aerobic threshold and punishing themselves in races on the weekends. They were ultra fit. But the sad news is they aren’t all healthy.
And the inflammation caused by what Mark Sissons terms "chronic cardio" is now expressing itself as an arrhythmia which limits exercise tolerance when it presents, can cause breathlessness, chest pain and collapse. At its worst carries with it an increased risk of stroke; the risk albeit increased by other health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and prior vascular problems such as a heart attack.
What exactly is Atrial Fibrillation?
The atria are the smaller 2 chambers of the heart which act as superchargers to load the more forcefully contracting ventricles. Normally, heart electrical rhythm starts from the sinus node and travels through a “gate” the a-v node to the ventricles. These pacemaker cells set the relatively consistent rhythm of atrial and ventricular contraction.
In atrial fibrillation, there is disorganised electrical firing arising in the inflamed or damaged atria creating uncoordinated, fibrillating upper chamber contractions. This is filtered in the gate to become an irregular contraction of the ventricles, often fast.
What happens then is that the effective output of blood from the heart each contraction is limited when compared to normal “sinus” rhythm. Also , in the fibrillating atria, blood can pool and clot. These clotted areas can lead to stroke risk.
Why is Atrial Fibrillation such a Problem?
If someone is in fast atrial fibrillation, they may experience light headedness, breathlessness, weakness or chest pain related to the less than effective pump action of the heart.
For exercising adults , even if the rate of atrial fibrillation is controlled, it can certainly limit exercise tolerance.
For those with Paroxysmal Atria fibrillation there is always a risk of triggering the arrhythmia at high exercising heat rates. For some the abnormal rhythm may occur as their heart rate drops post-exercise, after a meal, or during sleep.
As mentioned earlier, having atrial fibrillation increases a person’s risk of having a stroke- the relative risk goes up with other factors such as age, diabetes, and hypertension.
In future posts we will look at the conventional management options for atrial fibrillation and how a primal lifestyle approach can be beneficial in managing this condition.
If you are having troubles getting back to health and fitness with PAF, you can get assistance with my 12 week Primal Regeneration Health Coaching Program. Book a free discovery call to see if it’s right for you.
