vagal atrial fibrillation

[Choroba13]

I don't hear anything on this website about the symptoms for a vagal atrial fibrillation. I live in US , but would like to know if it is known and researched in UK. Please describe the symptoms and treatments for the vagal paroxysmal fibrillation.

[BobD Volunteer]

Hi Choroba, you must be new here if you haven't seen reference to vagally medicated AF. I suggest that you look back over some of the posts as it often comes up.

AF is AF is AF. Paroxysmal AF comes and goes on its own.

The vagus nerve is the main neural superhighway between the brain and various organs including the heart and stomach. People who are said to have vagal AF generally find that any events are often triggered by food, or sleep/rest when as a specialist put it "the vagal tone is low" .

Symptoms of AF are well known, but if you find that your events start during the night or after food it is a fair bet that your AF is vagally mediated. For such people treatment may well be the same as for anybody else with one proviso that beta blockers are not usually considered good as they slow things down and may even make events more likely.

At this time in UK no attempt seems to be made by doctors to define if AF is Vagal or not so many people end up finding out the hard way. Change is , however, afoot.

Bob

[Lizty in reply to BobD]

Bob.... Last week I asked my EP about this, as I clearly have the symptoms of AF that you describe. He brushed away the reference to vagally mediated AF as something that was talked about '40 years ago....' but didn't enlighten me any further. I am intolerant to Bisoprolol (average bp around 110 max over 70). On the good side I am on the waiting list for a double ablation (have flutter as well as af) .... though goodness know when that will happen with the NHS so busy currently.

What do you mean about change is afoot?

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Lizty]

That there are some enlightened people out there.

[Offcoffee in reply to BobD]

Last week my paroxysmal AF came on in the morning when I was due to have a 1-2-1 Pilates session at a Pilates Studio. I told my teacher about the AF being present so I might be out of breath and that I was pondering the ideas around the vagus nerve. She was very clear that Pilates' abdominal exercises, especially those involving deep breathing, affect the vagus nerve and after an hour's work my symptons disappeared and that night I was able to sleep on my left side for the first time in ages. Early days but maybe worth a look for others too. As my forum name implies my AF is practically always attributable to something I have eaten or drunk. I also breathe shallowly and have a bad habit of holding my breath too much when exercising.

[Patches2 in reply to Offcoffee]

Are you saying that abdominal breathing is a solution for PAF?

Best wishes, Natassa

[Offcoffee in reply to Patches2]

I wish! No I am just reporting something I find interesting about my own mysterious condition. I find this forum a great help in knowing that so many others who have been simply given a diagnosis but not enough information about why and how. Coffee is my downfall and I am pretty much clear of symptons and take no drugs (except warfarin) but thats clearly not the case for most other people. Anything I can try is worth knowing about and trying to improve my general health is really helpful and motivating. Good luck with your researches too.

[frenchgoose]

The vagal nerve has a lot to answer for. This YouTube looks at the connection between the heart and stomach by Dr Gupta in York. He has several other videos worth looking at.

youtube.com/watch?v=zt4Cw-V...(Not working as expected?)

Ann

[EngMac]

Look at my posts in the last couple of weeks and you will find one on vagal AF that should help.

[razor62]

All afib is not alike. This, as every aspect of medicine is still being studied. New findings on afib keep emerging. Sanjay Gupta of York cardiology talks about vagal afib. There is a video on YouTube. I have vagal afib. Afib episodes start when bradycardia gets severe and my heart rate is never elevated. My heart beats completely out of rhythm.