The Significant Increase in AFib is Concerning

When the electrical signals in the heart don’t work properly, there is an arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia and the leading cause of stroke.

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that AFib is three times more prevalent than previously thought. The researchers also found that people with AFib tended to be younger and there are many undetected cases, which are additional concerns. According to a 2018 paper, more than 13 percent of all AFib cases were undiagnosed and over half of those were at moderate to high risk of stroke.

“I have seen more cases of AFib in the last three years than in my entire career,” said Daniel Chong, ND, a naturopathic physician who specializes in heart attack and stroke prevention. “The reasons for the increase are complicated and not fully understood.”

A Possible Explanation

Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, one of the nation’s leading experts on post viral chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia and the author of You Can Heal from Long COVID contends that long COVID could, in part, explain the increase in AFib.

According to a recently published systematic review and meta-analysis, people with COVID were 57 percent more likely to develop AFib than uninfected controls. That study featured more than 19 million patients who were enrolled in five observational studied and followed for a year or more.

This is consistent with the findings from a study presented last year at the American College of Cardiology’s annual event which showed that having long COVID more than doubles a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular issues such as AFib. While statistics vary, recent surveys show that one in seven Americans have experienced long COVID.

Regarding AFib specifically, research from last year also found that risk was higher in older individuals, individuals who had more severe COVID, and unvaccinated individuals with COVID.

“Hyperthyroidism is common post COVID, which is an additional AFib trigger,” said Dr. Teitelbaum. “Heart and lung injury from the infection and myocarditis from the vaccine both likely also contribute to the increase in AFib.”

Dr. Teitelbaum points out that sympathetic overdrive with dysautonomia and vagal nerve dysfunction is also common post COVID, which can increase risk of AFib, as well as fibromyalgia.

Understanding the increased risk of AFib among people who’ve had COVID is important. Both doctors agree that integrative medicine has a lot to offer patients with AFib and those trying to reduce risk.

Integrative Interventions

“Taking an integrative approach to this condition can help uncover potential contributory factors in certain individuals which leads the way to a wider array of beneficial tools to help minimize the use of medication and surgery,” said Dr. Chong.

In 2020, the American Heart Association published a position paper explaining that lifestyle changes such as exercise and diet can help reduce risk of AFib, as well as AFib risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea.

Dr. Teitelbaum feels that diet and dietary supplements should be key considerations.

“Low magnesium and B vitamins are associated with an increased risk of AFib,” said Dr. Teitelbaum. “I recommend a multivitamin mineral supplement that is high in these nutrients along with other nutrients to enhance heart energy such as ribose, high absorption CoQ10, and acetyl l-carnitine for three months to decrease the risk of arrhythmia.”

In addition to stroke, AFib increases risk of heart failure, heart attack, chronic kidney disease, dementia, and premature death. With AFib on the rise, integrative practitioners can hopefully help turn the tides on this serious illness.