Possible Causes for AF

Hypothyroidism seems to be a big factor. A lot of Articles on this aspect.

[10gingercats]

Yes. both my Afib and Thyroid condition occured at roughly the same time.....within weeks....as far as I was aware.Then hosp. checks confirmed this. No real help for either....this was some years ago.....only Amioderone for the AF which I refused as I had read up about it previously.Thyroid condition was 'denied' yes. well you are clearly not well but we cannot help you!A very long story as to how it finally got sorted privately.

[Hidden in reply to 10gingercats]

Are you drinking Fluoridated water? It damages Thyroid and Pineal glands.

[opal11uk in reply to Hidden]

Only filtered water

[higgy52 in reply to 10gingercats]

Hi 10gingercats,

can you give me more info, as they think my A F is conected to thyroid trouble;

Thanks higgy

[10gingercats in reply to higgy52]

you want to know?

[10gingercats in reply to 10gingercats]

I meant what do you want to know?

[higgy52 in reply to 10gingercats]

where did you go to get it sorted privatly

[10gingercats in reply to higgy52]

Dr.Barry Durrant Peatfield(a GP trained at Barts.) but he has now retired from Gen. Practice. He has an intuitive = medical understanding of thyroid conditions.....esp. those a bit unusual that GPs cannot deal with.He lives in Merstham,near Redhill Sussex but sees patients in various places around the uk as well as at home.I am not now up to date with his locations.

[10gingercats in reply to higgy52]

I meant to write..... intuitive+ medical understanding.....

[BobD Volunteer]

In a few cases yes thyroid can be an issue but equally the vast majority of people who have AF have no other health problems. Of course the more you read especially on the internet the more distorted a picture you will get of what AF is and what causes it.

There are plenty of co existing conditions such as sleep apnoea , vagal unrest, hiatus hernia etc which can exacerbate AF but are they causes? I don't think so. If you have a predisposition to AF then you may develop it for a great number of reasons. If you don't then it is unlikely you will unless you fly military fast jets , are young and go binge drinking , take lots of ibuprofen or are an endurance athlete , all of which are know to be causes of AF.

The biggest problem is that it is still relatively new science. Until 25 years ago it was considered a benign nuisance and you would likely have been told "it won't kill you get on with life." We have a come a long way since then but no nearer the truth I fear.

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

Roughly 1/3 of the population over 50 has it. I thought it was just old age until the blood clots shut down my spleen in 2009. Until then I never heard of it. I was being treated for Diverticulosis for years before the Spleen event. I now believe it was AF the whole time. When I get low (PTINR) it manifests as Kidney pain now. I had symptoms of Hypothyroidism at the same time all this was happening. Which is the reason I associate the two.

[teach2learn in reply to Hidden]

I have occasional bouts of diverticulitis, and believe me, it's not AF, not even related . For one thing, the MRI proves it, and secondly, you can't clear up the AF with antibiotics (I wish!).

[BobD Volunteer]

I think that number well excessive. In UK estimate is 1.25million . Like I said be careful of what you read and present as a fact.

[KathFrances]

Interesting. I have Hashimoto's - ignored by GP as their TSH normal range is so high, but now tested and treated privately. Worsening of the thyroid condition and emergence of AF have happened over the same period. I hadn't linked them before.

[Hidden in reply to KathFrances]

Thyroid is linked, both hypo and hyper. There are many articles online. What bothers me is the Fluoride link to Hypothyroidism.

[Plantwords in reply to KathFrances]

For years I complained about cold body temperature and fatigue which went undiagnosed before and after I was diagnosed with AF. Finally my naturopathic doctor suggested taking basal body temperature, and, when it was confirmed to be very low before rising she said I should have a full range of thyroid blood work, including for antibodies and sure enough I had hypothyrodism. The only treatment my GP offered was to let my thyroid get so bad that I would be put on hormone replacement therapy! My naturopath had a different option which worked: it included taking a herbal supplement called ThyroCare(mainly seleniun, iodine), avoiding gluten and foods that mimic thyroid hormone and, thus, cause, the autoimmune response, like peanuts. I now have normal blood results (thyroglobulin antibody well in normal range), no fluxuation in body temperature and energy. Did it cause my AF? I believe my long undiagnosed hypothyroidism was a definite factor. According to my EP, he believes the sequence may have been hyperthyroidism for a very short period which converted to hypo and kicked off the AF. Bottom line, do not accept basic thyroid blood work to diagnose - a full work up including Thyroglobulin Antibody and Thyroperoxidase Antibody is critical, and, do not accept that there is nothing to be done. Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder and there are treatment options.

[Hidden in reply to Plantwords]

What you describe, low temp & fatigue was what I experienced before & during AF. I take iodine & selenium supplements and go to the gym each day. I really was unaware something was wrong. When I got my first Cardio version in 2010 I felt so good. Had energy, eyesight was amazing. Lasted about two months then back to ugh just shoot me.

Google GDF11 I believe it may have some application for us. If your on Twitter I started a page @Atrial_fibrilla . There are others with pages on this subject as well. Good to see someone else has recognized this connection my doctors sure don't.