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Anyone with occasional Afib NOT on a blood thinner?
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: Jul 22 7:50am | Replies (97)Comment receiving replies
The question was asked about "Is there anyone with afib not on anticoagulants". In fact, the need to use a "blood thinner" is dictated in large part by the CHADS score of the patient. This system gives points for a variety of things including age, diabetes, hypertension, alcohol use etc. A 75 year old will get two points and put on anticoagulants just on the basis of age, but a younger person without any other compounding factors may not be, or may just be put on aspirin. The problem with someone who has infrequent episodes is that we may not feel symptomatic and therefore unaware of the fact that fibrillation is present (and potentially forming clots that could cause stroke). This and other subjects are discussed in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021 entitled "Atrial Fibrillation". Unfortunated they won't let me post a link here
Replies to "The question was asked about "Is there anyone with afib not on anticoagulants". In fact, the..."
@roba7, welcome. I noticed that you wished to post a link with your post. You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe.
Obviously the link you wished to include is not spam. Allow me to post the information for you:
- Atrial Fibrillation https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp2023658
Access to the article requires a subscription.
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@roba7 my CHADS score is 2 (age over 65 and female) but since I have no other factors like hypertension, diabetes, overweight, alcohol etc. my electrophysiologist does not think I need anticoagulation. I always feel my afib and monitoring has shown that to be true. I have episodes roughly one a year. I am really happy this EP gave me Eliquis to take short term after an episode that lasts over 5 hours, which mine rarely do. I have flexibility in how I use it so if an episode were , say, 3 hours I might consider a few days or a week on it. One hospital did an echocardiogram after an episode to check for clots and I was unmedicated.
If monitoring shows more afib than a person is aware of, then the CHADS may be a good indicator of need for meds.