AFib is a heart disease characterized by out-of-rhythm heartbeats. This uncoordinated heart rate can lead to problems that one cannot simply ignore. Often the effects of AFib can be felt in the long term as the quality of life degrades. However, at times AFib episodes can lead to fatal conditions, such as stroke. Hence, AFib is the center of medical attention, as doctors explore its causes and possible treatments. While the search continues, recent research has shown a positive relationship between AFib and inflammation. Therefore, let’s discuss what researchers have uncovered.
What Is Inflammation and How To Measure It?
You may be well aware of skin inflammation. You can recognize it by red, painful swelling followed by a burning sensation. Eventually, the swelling and pain subside, and everything returns to normal. However, what’s happening at the cellular level?
You can understand inflammation as a response of our body’s defense mechanism. Generally, white blood cells(defense cells) surround the sight of invasion and try to fend off the invaders. Nonetheless, in this attempt to restore order, white blood cells can damage the body’s own cells and tissue. This can lead to inflammation.
Inflammation can be either short or long-lasting, depending upon the situation and severity of the damage. Moreover, severe inflammation can be caused when the body’s defense turns against the body’s own cells. This type of inflammation often lasts longer, and it requires medical treatment.
When a war is loose in a part of your body, your blood will be filled with biomarkers. These ‘biomarkers’ are often chemicals that recruit more white blood cells or are the sign of a cell’s cry for help. Nevertheless, doctors can measure the concentration of “biomarkers” to track inflammation or keep a tab on its progress.
How Do AFIb And Inflammation Relate?
Studies have shown that with local and system inflammation, the chances of developing AFib increase. Local inflammation is the inflammation that occurs within heart tissues. Similarly, system inflammation refers to the occurrence of inflamed tissue in other body organs.
Cardiovascular diseases that arise from inflamed tissues can interfere with the heart’s working and slow down the conduction of pulses. This somewhat direct effect can increase the occurrence of AFib.
However, researchers also noticed an increase in AFib episodes among patients with chronic inflammation due to infections like pneumonia. On average, a person suffering from any kind of internal inflammation has a higher chance of developing AFib than those who don’t have such problems.
Moreover, with the progress of AFib, that is, as the AFib condition becomes more severe or permanent, researchers also observed an increase in ‘biomarkers’. This evidence suggests that critical levels of inflammation can boost the progress of AFib, making AFib more prominent.
Conclusion:
Researchers are pretty sure about how inflammation affects AFIb, and this means that if doctors can abate inflammation, they can also slow down AFib progress. Hence, doctors are testing the efficacy of anti-inflammatory in treating AFib. While we don’t have an ultimate cure, we are getting closer. Until then, AFib management can improve your life’s quality, and Atrial Fibrillation Center can help you with that. Therefore, call us at 832-478-5067 for more information.