Causes of Atrial Fibrillation

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Atrial fibrillation is a condition where there is irregular heart beat and often with a rapid rhythm. This irregular rhythm is also known as arrhythmia. The electrical impulses in the heart sometime are abnormal. These result in arrhythmia. This irregularity could be continuous or could be intermittent.

There are many reasons why atrial fibrillation is caused. The reasons are dependent on the condition of the bodily systems. Let us have a look at them first:

Coronary artery disease: This condition is also called atherosclerotic heart disease and is the result of the collection of a lot of plaques in the walls of the coronary arteries.These coronary arteries supplies the heart muscles with oxygen and nutrients. It is one of the main atrial fibrillation causes.
Rheumatic heart disease: When there is a streptococcal infection then the resultant fever is rheumatic. This is caused by an antibody which could result in heart problems. The illness is named rheumatic heart disease as it resembles rheumatism.
When there is hypertension: This is a condition where the blood pressure is elevated. This hypertension is caused by a raised blood pressure or by any other conditions which finally affect the heart.
Mitral valve stenosis: This is a disease of the valves of the heart where the opening of the mitral valve is narrowed. This becomes one of the causes of atrial fibrillation.
When the mitral valve is not competent: Mitral valve prolapse is a condition of the valves of the heart. The mitral valve gets thick and gets displaced into the left atrium during systole. In a severe case of mitral valve prolapse, there are heart failures, congestive heart problems and sometimes cardiac arrests leading to death.
When there is mitral regurgitation: This is an incompetence of mitral valve of the heart. This insufficiency of the mitral valve results in the valve not closing properly when the heart pumps blood. When the blood leaks from the left ventricle through the mitral valve and goes into the left atrium, and when the left ventricle contracts then there is an inflow of blood back into the left atrium. This is called mitral regurgitation. This often is one of the causes of atrial fibrillation.

Friedrich’s ataxia is a condition that causes a lot of damage to the nervous system. This results in a lot of problems like disturbances in gait and also leads to heart disease.

Atrial fibrillation is also caused by the following conditions :

Heart disorders
Heart valve disorders
Myocaditis
When there is hyperthyroidism
Congenital heart defects
Graves’ disease
When the heart fails
Swelling near the heart
Ishchemic heart disease
Partial block in the ventricles
When there is an acute heart attack
When there has been a cardiac surgery
When there is cardiomyopathy with a heart block
When the aortic valve is insufficient
When there is pericarditis
When the individual has a Wolff Parkinson syndrome
When the person is dehydrated
When there is rheumatic fever
When the individual consumes excess alcohol
Some herbs such as ephedra and ginseng
When there is irregular pulse beat due to mustard tree poisoning.
When there is sinus arrhythmia
When there is endomyocardial fibrosis
When there is eisenmenger syndrome
When there is a heart injury
When there is bronchogenic carcinoma
When there is hypothermia
When the person is diabetic
When the individual has high blood pressure
When the person takes cocaine
When there is a malformation in the heart
When the heart valve has diseases
When there is carbon monoxide poisoning
When there is a dual chamber pacemaker with a normal atrial and ventricular conduction

Thus the causes of atrial fibrillation are mainly related to the heart. If there has been an underlying disease in the heart, and a lot of tension and any such heart disorder then these are the atrial fibrillation causes. “Holiday heart” is a condition which results after drinking beverages like coffee, alcohol etc.

Atrial fibrillation – Idiopathic

Idiopathic atrial fibrillation occurs when there is no particular cause for atrial fibrillation. This when seen in youngsters is referred to as “lone atrial fibrillation”. There is no particular reason for the atrial fibrillation causes and this is a “lone” abnormality. These patients have a normal heart rhythm with bouts of irregular heart beats.