AF Heart disease

[11ellis]

I'm just a bit confused about the term Disease.

I was ablated for flutter and AF 6 weeks ago and everything is ticking perfectly, I've never felt better,hopefully that's it.

But do I have heart disease ?

[jennydog]

The Oxford dictionary defines disease as Morbid condition of body or plant,(specific) disorder,illness, deranged, depraved.

AF is a disorder so I suppose that technically it is a disease.

I have always described it as an electrical problem.

[constabule]

Hi I just looked it up as well and if you go by the dictionary then yes. The OED describes it among other things as an absence of ease.

I think the more modern usage does seem to be towards a more specific disorder

[BobD Volunteer]

Just to confuse you even more I never call it a disease. I refer to AF as a condition and always have done. It is not generally considered as "heart disease" in the way that faulty valves or blocked arteries is.

That all said, if going for any insurance and you put a tick on the heart bit the computer throws out your application and refuses to go any further unless they get a full medical report.

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

I go along with AF is an electrical problem and not a disease, but when it causes other problems within the heart, like CHF, or a reduced ejection fraction, or if it is accompanied, as mine is, with hypertension, then it is typically considered under the umbrella of heart disease. My problem list on my records say heart disease. Blaaaaah.

[PeterWh]

Even in the everyday world most people don't understand electricity probably because it is the area in engineering that you can't see. Put that together (ie faulty electrical signals that are causing the AF) with the heart that you can't see and that most people seem to gave forgotten as to how it works then you have a double blindfold as to what is happening!!!!

It was a relief the other day when I met someone who was walking her dog (and I haven't seen for some time) and she actually knew what AF was (because her father in-law has it). That saved yet another explanation. Since I had AF and have explained it to people a few said along the lines well it doesn't matter or make much difference because your heart goes faster and slower anyway. I have used various terms in the last 15 months including condition, affliction, disease, failure, etc and I think that the last two are the ones that make people understand a bit more.

Slightly separately I have been surprised as to know many people don't understand the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest and think they are one and the same!!!

[Annaelizabeth in reply to PeterWh]

And the difference is?

[jimmysouthgates]

I have paroxysmal af and asthma. It offends me when hcps say I have a disease. To me they are medical conditions. A disease is degrading in nature and heart diseases in my eyes are ccf, cad etc. Heart disease can cause af so maybe this has been mentioned to you. Af is not a disease.

[Annaelizabeth]

Thank you

[overmars]

Does anyone out there know the merits of Rivofloxaban or whatever it is ! Compared to warfarin ..pros and Von's ..please reply fellow sufferers !!!!

[Rellim296 in reply to overmars]

You'd do better to make this a post on its own, overmars, but in a nutshell (as far as I'm concerned) Warfarin 0, Rivaroxaban 10/10

[overmars in reply to Rellim296]

U r a star . I don't know how to start posts do will try ..

[Rellim296 in reply to overmars]

You've got there!

[overmars in reply to Rellim296]

Cheers !

[11ellis]

Ditto.

I'm on Apixaban.

Warfarin seems like a lot of messing

[Mrbill757]

Sorry to bear bad news but you DO have heart disease as long as the medical community puts again in that category. Insuarance just wants a general letter from your cardio doc to clarify your condition. No big deal. Calling it a "disease" is a bit of a misnomer to the general public, but as afib people we"re stuck with it.