Can treating sleep apnea cure afib?

[li17]

If afib is caused by sleep apnea, could treating sleep apnea cure it?

[Jhcoop55]

AFIB can result from many things including sleep Apnea. Unfortunately, Once you have AFIB you always have it. There is no cure per se although an ablation can keep AFIB at bay for many years and/meds drugs can be helpful. You should definitely treat your sleep apnea as it can result in other negative heart and medical conditions due to the interruption of breathing. Additionally, I’ve been told that there is indeed a relationship between sleep apnea and AFIB and sleep apnea can cause AFIB. However, while, controlling your sleep apnea could indeed help reduce the frequency of AFIB events and be good for your health in general, it will not eliminate or cure AFIB

[secondtry in reply to Jhcoop55]

Agreed with all of that except the bit 'you will always have it'. If you have Lone PAF, I think there are lifestyle adjustments incl diet, supplements and dealing with apnea that can keep it at bay indefinitely (i.e. a cure??) for some. I have to admit though whilst I think I have done all of this and haven't had AF for 4 years, I still haven't got the confidence to stop the only drug I am on Flecainide.

[Jhcoop55 in reply to secondtry]

Perhaps a better way to explain it is that once you have AF you are much more susceptible to It coming back. Agree that lifestyle/diet etc is very important but in your case, unless you actually go off of Flecainide, it’s hard to know for sure whether lifestyle changes are solely keeping it at bay. That being said, as long as you are not experiencing any side effects from Flec, it seems like you may be doing the right thing by staying on it. Of course, that’s a decision bereeen you and your doctor

After my second ablation with no recurring AFIB now for 18 months, I recently went off Flec which I had remained on longer than usual (post ablation) to control ectopic beats. Hopefully the ablation will hold for a long time with the realization that it is not a cure per se and AFIB could eventually come back.

[secondtry in reply to Jhcoop55]

We are all 'Hope' masters, fingers crossed you don't see it back now!

[KMRobbo]

I do not have sleep apnea and am not a doctor, but have read about sleep apnea in my search for my AF triggers.

If you are not in permanent A fib and the sleep apnea was your only trigger then you may not be cured of the potential to have a fib, but if you remove the only trigger then why would you go into A Fib again? Logically it must at least massively reduce the likelihood of an a fib attack.

A fib has appeared to evolve for me over the 2.5 years I have had it but I never found a trigger and have had 13 or 14 attacks in that period ( that I was aware of - I am/was almost asymptomatic for almost 2 years at least). I understand that " a Fib begets a fib" so I can undestand why it evolved for me even with only 13 attacks.

So if sleep apnea is your only trigger try to remove it.

Cheers