When given the assignment to write an issue
summary, I had no idea what to write about. After thinking of things I have great passion
and great understanding about, I have decided to write about a heart condition
called Atrial Fibrillation.
My
interest in the medical field was sparked by my family’s heart condition. Due
to the excessive amount of family members affected by A Fib, I have developed a
great curiosity of the heart. Because of this I would like to pursue a career
in the Radiology field. The field consists of many different job opportunities.
I have often thought it would be an amazing to be an Echocardiograph Technician,
also known as an echo tech. An echo tech takes images of a person’s heart. So
many of my family members are affected by this condition and I decided that I
would write my final assignment on determining whether A Fib is hereditary or
if it was caused by poor life choices. I
was very curious about this subject and started doing research.
Is
Atrial Fibrillation hereditary or caused due to poor life choices
When
five out of six of my father’s siblings were diagnosed with Atrial
Fibrillation, I began to wonder if it was hereditary. Being that mostly all my
family members had developed it, or if poor eating and poor life choices
contributed to the condition. Could lack of exercise contribute to developing
this dangerous heart condition? Can I develop the condition because my dad has
been diagnosed with it? After wondering what causes this condition I decided I
needed to find out.
“Atrial
fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the U.S., affecting
more than 2 million adults”. The amount of people being diagnosed with the
condition is rising and scientists predict that about 5.6 million Americans
will have the disorder by 2050. This year alone there will be over 340,000 new
cases in the US. A-Fib is the most common heart arrhythmia(NHLBI).
After
researching online databases, I have gathered information that supports both viewpoints.
The two main viewpoints I have researched is the idea that A Fib is hereditary.
The other viewpoint would be the idea that A Fib is caused by poor life choices
such as, excessive smoking, excessive drinking and eating unhealthy eating. I
feel it is important for me, as well as others to know if they are at risk for
this condition. I would also like to know the main causes of A Fib. Knowing
that there may be multiple reasons that a person develops the conditions, I can
now look further into what really causes A Fib.
The
first viewpoint supports the idea that A Fib is caused by excessive drinking. According
to studies by Doctor Kelli Miller Stacy, reporting on behalf of Web Md , it has been found that people,
who regularly drink a lot of alcohol, are more likely to develop the irregular
heart rhythm, than nondrinkers.(Web MD) Drinking one to two drinks daily will greatly
increase your risk. Scientists have discovered that the more a person drank the
higher chances of developing the condition. “Excessive amounts of alcohol use
can raise your blood pressure to an Unhealthy level, causing the arteries to
tighten making your heart work harder to distribute the blood. The heart
becomes over worked and begins to weaken causing the abnormal electrical
impulses of A Fib”.
The next point I researched was the idea
that A Fib is Hereditary. Wanting to know more about the causes of the
condition, I looked for information supporting the idea of it being hereditary.
Dr. J Travis, scientist for the science
news stated that from recent studies, scientist were able to find a gene
mutation that causes Atrial Fibrillation. According to this study sixteen out
of forty four family members surveyed had the linked gene for A Fib. “The
investigators discovered that only those family members with A fib have a
subtle misspelling of the gene's normal DNA sequence” (Travis).
Finally, the
last point that supports the idea that: both poor life style choices and
heredity contribute to developing A Fib. According to the oxford journal that
the main causes are obesity, substance abuse, excessive exercise ,excessive
caffeine use, Coronary artery disease,Heart valve disease, Chronic lung disease, Heart failure, Cardiomyopathy,Congenital heart disease, and hypertension.
The oxford journal also states that
children born to parents who have been diagnosed with A fib often inherit the A
Fib gene. Researchers found that 30 percent of participants had at least one
parent with Atrial Fibrillation. According to the National Heart, lung, and blood Institute also known as NHLBI the
risk is double for those with one parent who has already developed this heart
condition. The risks triple if both parents have the condition.
Before reading
each viewpoint I thought that it might only be hereditary just because my
family is active and I don’t see them out of shape or obese. I figured that
only extremely overweight people were at high risk for any heart problems. Just
like other conditions passed through my family I figured that A Fib had to be
hereditary and just another thing I get to look forward to as an adult.
After reading both viewpoints I have come to
realize that Atrial Fibrillation is caused from both poor life style choice and
is passed from parent to child due to a gene mutation. By doing this research I
know have a greater understanding of how a person develops the common heart
condition. Now that I know I have a high chance of developing this condition I
need to be tested by doctors for the A fib gene to see if I really inherited
the condition. If so I need to learn to live with this conditon.
Works Cited
Atrial
Fibrilliation: causes of not- so- lone Atrial Fibrillation." oxford
journal. (2008): n. page. Print.
Schoonderwoerd,
Bas, Pen Lucas, Van Marcelle, and Isabelle Gelder. "“New risk factors
for Stacey, Kelli. "Alcohol May
Raise Risk of Irregular Heart Rhythm." January 17,2011. n.pag. Sirs.
Web. 29 Jul 2012.
Travis,
J. "Losing Rhythm." Science News January 11, 2003. n.pag. master
File premire. Web. 29 2012
