GCA and atrial fibrillation

[Primarose]

Has anyone suffered with this. What were/are your symptoms and what medication do you take?

Also how is it diagnosed?

Is it a complication of GCA?

[stellafmdm]

Not GCA, but PMR and atrial fibrillation! I think it is side effect of pred. I got put on blood thinners, in case I got stroke. No more fib and no stroke either! I hope you will be OK! xxx

[Primarose in reply to stellafmdm]

Thank you stellafmdm, can I ask what your symptoms were?

[stellafmdm in reply to Primarose]

I felt a fluttering sensation in the heart and my pulse was racing!

[Trish21]

I was diagnosed with af 3years ago. I take antiarhythmic medication to prevent episode. I have just been diagnosed with pmr.

[karools16]

I have had GCA for 13 years. Diagnosed AF 1 year later, on a routine visit to the surgery nurse, for an ulcer dressing. She always took my BP and pulse. She called the dr, and he said my heart was beating too fast. Saw Cardio, at Papworth hospital, UK, had heart monitor and take Warfarin. Pred never discussed as cause.Earlier this year, another Cardio found I have Aortic Stenosis as well. I am never sure what conditions can be traced back to Pred.

[Hidden]

GCA & AF. myself. Also now heart failure diagnosed (left ventricle not pumping as it should) Had AF before GCA. On Warfarin for a couple of years. Now on Apixaban which doesn't require regular blood testing. Sure PMRpro will comment on this as she has AF herself.

[Blearyeyed]

Was your BP and heart rate checked properly when you visited the GP recently for the blood tests and did they tell you the results?

If you are having the continued feeling of a racing heart ( as though panicky with no cause )

, often with sweating , quite often at night and possibly causing dizziness you really need to have them begin to monitor you for AF or other blood pressure related conditions.

If it didn't start until after the steroids they could be a cause , but there are many possibilities.

If it only started when you had your recent flu the combo of illnesses and their symptoms could have caused temporary BP issues that may not need medicating.

There are also many other reasons and conditions that can bring on AF symptoms.

So , I would suggest getting back to the GP and having it thoroughly checked and if it continues and you don't want to start new drugs without specialist advice ( which after your recent experience perhaps you shouldn't) , let your Rheumy know about it and ask for their opinion or ask to be referred to cardiology.

These things are best dealt with quickly and with expert specialist advice.

Take care , you are going through the mill at the moment , let us know how things go please. xx

[Primarose in reply to Blearyeyed]

I was asking about symptoms etc as I have been getting fluttery feelings for hours at a time and on occasions feeling a bit light headed, sort of as though you've had a few too many G & T's. I had look at some web sites and it mentioned a racing pulse, last blood pressure test, the pulse rate was 75 and looking at the other results it seems the 75 is my average. Blood pressure averages around 100/72. These are my readings, not had the blood pressure checked by doctor in ages. I usually take my own monitor for him to have a look at.

I actually have an appointment next week, (second one) to see Rheumatology so I can mention this to them.

You are right, this has only started since I had that nasty virus bug, I was fine before that.

Thank you so much for your post it has been immensely helpful to me.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Primarose]

Definitely mention it to your Rheumatologist these are important symptoms.

Not just in terms of GCA .

Low blood pressure as well as high pressure and swings between the two can be a sign of hypo tension , hypertension or conditions like Pots which I am in the process of getting full confirmation on.

Do not let them brush it under the carpet either . If they don't suggest request some BP monitoring , you should really have something they call ambulatory testing, this involves you getting a BP monitor and cuff for 24 hours and it randomly takes your readings based on your movements and sleep.

You may also need a tilt table or positional BP check if it is possible that your swings in BP come after moving to stand or lie down .

Do you symptoms occur more as you get up or sit after a long time in one position or when you lie down at night.

Until you are seen it would be a good idea to use some Pots related home therapy.

Don't make quick movements of your head or body , get up and down in stages , especially first thing the morning.

Drinking water quite quickly before changing position or getting up helps reduce the dizziness . Try having mainly mineral water because part of the issue can be lack of minerals and salts in your system. Always have a bottle of water near you so you can do this . It has helped me.

Also make sure you have a supplement that includes minerals , especially Potassium, Magnesium and Sodium , these help the dizziness and palpitations .

Take any supplements in the middle of a meal like breakfast not at the beginning or end so it is mixed with the food and more is digested.

Take a record of how often it happens and what your are doing and when from now on , and your BP when dizzy if you can , all of that information will really help the doctor work out what it might be and which tests they might need to do.

They may refer you to cardiology , but don't panic about this , it is a good thing , they are in charge of diagnosing these sorts of things and it means you are being taken seriously, you should ask for a referral if they don't offer it.

Many of these BP related things can be put in check with little lifestyle changes and don't need meds , but if it is not checked they could be missing a change in symptoms in your PMR / GCA or even something like a kidney or bladder infection so it's worth taking seriously.

Take care. xx

[Primarose in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you for your reply Bee, and for taking the time to explain everything. I drink loads of mineral water.

The dizziness happens when I have been laying on the sofa and sit up, it doesn't last long.

I shall be making notes before my hospital visit next week, mainly from your post.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Primarose]

Definitely sounds similar to Pots symptoms or some form of tachycardia syndrome affected by movement those tips above are what I got from the Vasculitis link to a Pots website , and the water drinking , mineral supplements and slow movements cleared up the majority of the dizziness and palpitations , but it still needs checking and recording anyway so they know what's going on and will be ready to make any needed meds changes if symptoms change or get worse. Take care and take things slowly xx

[Primarose in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you very much. I am getting quite good at taking things slowly.

[Primarose in reply to Blearyeyed]

Hi Bee, well I ended up in A & E for another reason but while I was there they did an ECG. I was told that I had extra heart beats and they wanted to monitor me overnight, I was not very happy about it but I agreed.

I was told that they will send for me in New Year to have OP 24 hour tape fitted and then post it back to them. I hope there aren't too many wires cause one of cats love plastic wires.

It says on the discharge form ECG Aterial Bigeminy. Troponins negative.

I looked it up and it doesn't to be a very serious disease. But they want to do the OP thing after I have recovered just to check.

Thank you once again for all your help.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Primarose]

Sorry you ended up in A and E but at least that was checked at the same time and you are going to be properly seen in the New Year , what happened to get you admitted?

Hope you are feeling a little better and get lots of rest over Christmas , no heavy partying 😁😂😂😋

[maria40]

My symptoms are similar to yours but I was diagnosed with SVT (Supra Ventricular Tachycardia) and was told that it was not uncommon for long term pred users to develop it. I take Bisoprolol and have cut down -cannot cut out completely - my caffeine intake and I eat a daily banana. I no longer have frequent episodes though it hasn't gone completely but I'm now on a lower -8mg dose.

[Primarose in reply to maria40]

Thank you maria, I'm hoping that maybe they can have a listen at my appointment.

[Blearyeyed in reply to maria40]

Yes the Banana a day can definitely keep the doctor away because it's packed with Potassium good advice here Primarose!

[Primarose in reply to Blearyeyed]

Can't stand bananas unfortunately.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Primarose]

Have you tried putting them in the freezer then blending them up with some chocolate or cocoa and unsalted peanut butter ( also good for minerals) makes perfect instant ice-cream with no banana taste!

Or blitz them into a smoothie with your favourite berries and fruits or choc and nut or coconut like above , makes a great breakfast or lunch smoothie , with no taste of banana either.

My mini blender has become a godsend for needing to pack in the healthy stuff. xxx

[Primarose in reply to Blearyeyed]

Just the hint of the smell of a banana turns my stomach. I bet I could taste banana.

[Cally55]

I was diagnosed with AF while I was in hospital with urosepsis and pneumonia last year. I had occasionally felt a sort of fluttering and almost breathlessness for some years before but ecg had never shown anything. I has no idea what AF meant while I was in hospital. On seeing GP afterwards she said "I didn't know you were AF", and didn't want to prescribe blood thinners as discharge letter suggested. It seems she was right as I have had only 2 minor occurrences in the 18 months since. I do have ECG at regular intervals. It has been suggested that it was more to do with the sepsis than the GCA/PMR or steroids.

This seems to be one of those rare occasions when a doctor doesn't want to prescribe yet more medication!

[Primarose in reply to Cally55]

Thank you Cally55. Most unusual for a doctor not to want to fill you with meds eh!