I would be very interested to hear if other members have had experience of an AF episode starting whilst suffering from a heavy cold virus?
Virtually all of my episodes some of which required a visit to A&E coincided with me contracting a virus.
I’ve managed to stay well with no episodes for over 18mths then wham, I catch a heavy cold & hey presto 2 episodes within the last 3 days!
They have mostly started at night whilst in bed, luckily after 3-4hrs things calmed down .
I have contacted my arrhythmia nurse to discuss, as not had any appointments since early 2022. Haven’t chased the Cardiac Dept up due to being AF free, so thought the time is right !
Thanks 🙏🏻
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Clematis58
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Not a cold virus, but Covid put me into afib after a long remission. Any change in the "force" can do it. Could be something in the body's reaction to the virus itself, or perhaps dehydration and loss of electrolytes which is common with viruses. Looking back, I should have upped my Flecainide and/or hydrated more.
I agree with you Jim in that I didn’t hydrate enough & as with other AFib episodes all that was needed was to drink plenty of fluids - lesson learnt! Also, in desperation did take an extra 1.25mg dose of Bisoprolol
Same. I was doing well, no episodes of AF and less frequent ectopics, then Covid kicked it all off again. It’s the immune response that produces systemic inflammation, which is a completely normal and appropriate response to infection, but in many people with AF the raised HR, temperature and the inflammatory immune response can cause the heart to act up. Not everyone is sensitive in this way.
Very good idea though keep fluids up and make sure it’s not just water, because just water can cause low sodium or other potential electrolyte imbalances. Even mixing in a little bit of sugar and a little bit of salt with warm water )to help it dissolve) can help keep electrolytes in balance. Often people can lose their appetite with viral illnesses, and this years Covid comes with GI upset and loss of smell and taste, so doubly important to keep those fluids and electrolytes up.
Definitely a connection for me. I remained AF free until I went down with Covid. Years before AF, and long before anyone had ever heard of Covid, I was very unwell with a lower respiratory virus and that’s when I started getting lots of ectopics and some episodes of SVT. My arrhythmia nurse told me colds, flu and not just Covid can trigger AF in some people.
Yes to covid, both times and more recently with something that didn’t test positive but was heavy. Not my only episodes but my most symptomatic episodes by far and the only episodes that were in and out of AF a few times rather than my usual monthly episodes for 12 hours or so and finished.
I have given this a lot of thought as in April 2022 I broke my hip whilst playing table tennis so had to have a full replacement. When I was taken into hospital they diagnosed me with having Covid, I had no symptoms and didn't feel unwell in anyway, hence playing table tennis! The upshot of this is that I was last on the theatre list and then put into a private room, which was brilliant however around a year later, after going through a persistent cough, breathlessness/dizzyness and many trips to the GP and tests of one sort or another, finally diagnosed to be in permanent A/F when formerly, with the aid of my Pacemaker and drugs, I had been free of it since 2015, and in heart failure! Now I think that the trauma of the fall and the Covid was the cause. Once again, thankfully, I am stable but still in heart failure so that's my sorry tale.
Thank you, yes doing reasonably well however all my exercise has ground to a halt, I used to play table tennis twice a week and exercise to music also twice a week, my gadabouts around town, window shopping etc., also stopped but then I am 80 next year so time to calm down hehehe
Strangely enough I’ve had a few episodes of Covid & had no adverse effects or AFib . It seems to be more the common cold or upper respiratory tract infection. 😩
My brother had his for two weeks and when I saw him last week (third) he was still full of congestion in his sinuses. It’s one heck of a cold virus if it’s the same one doing the rounds.
My first known episode of afib took place in the ER, when I went to get checked for Covid. I had a bad cold & cough. Turns out I had RSV virus, not Covid. As they were preparing to send me home with meds, my heart rate shot up to 170. Three days in the hospital & lots of tests later, I was back in NSR, but had many bouts of afib till having a successful ablation in July.
I go into afib each and every time I get a fever. I haven't had a fever since my ablation, so I don't know if that's still true. I wouldn't be surprised - or worried - to have a bout of afib if I got a fever now. In fact, I'd almost be watching for it the moment my temp spiked. I am, however, blessed that these fever-related bouts have been short-lived.
My first bout of AFib started when I caught a nasty respiratory virus in 2014. I then got another bout 2 years later when I has a urine infection and then in February this year, my AFib started and a Covid test showed up positive, but I’ve had AFib start for no reason that I could see, apart from walking uphill in the freezing weather,or lying on my left hand side, which apparently can start AFib, so it doesn’t seem to be just viruses that start mine. I have been told by Drs, to go into A&E, as I get very high blood pressure and heart rate and they said they want to keep an eye on me. They usually give me something to try to help stop it. I had a catheter ablation 6 weeks ago, so hoping it’ll keep AFib at bay, although I’m getting ectopic beats at the moment, worse some days than others. I have had 9 bouts of AFib since 2014, so I read catheter ablations work best if you don’t have AFib all the time, so 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
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