Dr Sanjay Gupta...Can a Hiatal hernia cause AF ?

[Steve112]

youtu.be/Seb55YhOtl8(Not working as expected?)

[jeanjeannie50]

A great presentation from Dr Sanjay Gupta again. So nice to have a cardiologist who is truly interested in helping everyone with AF. I think a lot of we forum members can identify with what he's saying.

Thank you Sanjay, love your new beard.

Jean x

[Cliff_G]

Was just about to post this myself. Another superb video from Dr S and what he's talking about describes my life totally. This stuff needs to get into the international AF guidelines and be recognised by NICE. When the profession will not look for vagal triggers, they won't find them.

[Singwell]

Thanks for posting. I suspect I have HH so this is of interest. In fact I discussed this with my EP and he said it might be a trigger factor but wasn't convinced it was a root cause as in if I got the HH repaired the AF would go. Lovely thought though...

[Ppiman]

Thanks for posting that. I am lucky in having an excellent GP and I think he would fully agree with Dr Gupta. The first thing he said when I had a frightening and weird breathless "panic" attack in late spring 2019 was that it was the "the old dog" (i.e. my hiatus hernia). Certainly, in the days leading up to it, I'd had my usual odd symptoms in my stomach area - but I'd had these many times before without the breathless "attack".

The second time it happened. later in the same spring, I was away from home and was sent to see an emergency GP who told me I had tachycardia and that I must take myself to hospital, where they found that I had tachycardia still but associated with persistent atrial flutter. After lots of tests, including echo cardiograms and finally a stress MRI, my heart was pronounced "sound" so there seemed to be no other explanation for the AF except for my hiatus hernia. And yet, the cardiologist who treated me and who later performed my ablation and cured my AF remained completely sceptical of my hernia being the cause.

Steve

[Cally53]

I have had a hiatus hernia for more than 20 years and have often wondered whether it triggered my af. My asthma has also caused me problems for the past 12 months and despite 3 changes of inhaler, my cough is still persistent. I saw my GP last week and she now thinks my hiatus hernia is the cause. I now have to take omeprazole for a month to see if that makes any difference. Fingers crossed it works because in these unprecedented times going anywhere with a cough brings many odd looks!!