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Reducing Your Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

Here’s good news: following a heart-healthy lifestyle can help you avoid or improve atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat, a rapid heartbeat or a quivering of the upper chambers of the heart, called the atria. AFib is the most common heart irregularity, or cardiac arrhythmia. Untreated AFib can lead to lead to stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

The risk factors for AFib include existing heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and heavy drinking.

The Importance of Getting a Heart Scan

According to the American College of Cardiology, having a coronary calcium scan performed is one way to estimate you risk of developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack or stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 790,000 Americans have a heart attack every year.

The CDC also estimates that about half of all Americans (47%) have at least one of the following: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or are a smoker, which are the three key risk factors for developing heart disease.