Afib and the flu

[Slattery]

I had the flu with a bad cough for 3 weeks, my afib episodes were happening almost every day! Is this normal with the flu?

[BobD Volunteer]

Any infection or inflammation will exacerbate AF.

[10gingercats in reply to BobD]

My afib is pretty quit most of the time but a fluey cold and lots of coughing set it off.

[djbgatekeeper]

I had flu recently and the two weeks after were terrible AF .. when ever i lifted anything or made my pulse raise slightly the AF triggered until i rested. That lasted about 10 days and now for the past 2 weeks im in NSR with zero problems... the flu raised my pulse for about 4 days so i guess that triggered AF.... all good fun eh! Keep smiling 🖒

[irene75359]

Yes - illness can trigger AF episodes and also have a drastic effect on INR levels (if you are on warfarin).