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Is AF in the Genes??.

Posted , 10 users are following.

andrew28896
andrew28896

Well, I found out by accident today that my mum suffers from AF and my uncle (dads brother) does too, when my wife rushed me up to the A&E on Xmas eve when I had my first real episode of AF they asked me if anyone in my close blood family suffer from it and I said no as had no idea at the time. It now makes me wonder if you can be predisposed to AF if it runs in the family so to speak?.

To all members on here, Do any of your close relatives have it or any similar types of conditions SVT AF etc?

0 likes, 27 replies

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  • hhanover
    hhanover andrew28896

    Posted

    I think it runs in the family of Man. My dad had it too, so I suppose there may be a genetic predisposition. The thing is that af is frequently undiagnosed. Lots of times it is subtle enough that people, especially old ones, just think they are running out of gas. Many cases are diagnosed incidentally when a stroke is suffered. If the stroke turns out to be fatal, no diagnosis at all may happen. People, and many there are, who say, "I get these palpitations now and then but they go away", are probably our bretheren in disease, but if the intervals are long enough they may never take the symptoms to a doctor. You are fortunate that the diagnosis has been made and the doctors can take the steps necessary to keep a stroke out of your future. You are unfortunate that you have to deal with this crummy disease, but you have millions of people for company. Good luck.

  • anna_45444
    anna_45444 andrew28896

    Posted

    Hey Andrew , No one in my family suffered from AF , although my father died at 58 with a heart attack after having a by pass 3 years earlier . And Mother suffered palpatations  so I suppose it could have been overlooked with her.   I have suffered with AF now for 16 years , I have had 2 albations , and a 3rd that had to be stopped just after they got all the catheters in palce .  So they are now reluctanat to do anything for me now till it gets worse again.

     

  • John5006
    John5006 andrew28896

    Posted

    Hi Andrew,

    Yes, in my family, on my father's side.

    ?My paternal Grandfather died from a series of strokes, my 2nd cousin ( paternal side) has had a successful ablation following AF, my daughter has had AF. In her case the onset arose from her two pregnancies. no more pregnancies - no more AF. Then there is me.

    ?Nobody in the family is alive today who can say the cause of death of my 2nd cousins Grandfather - the only link is that his grandfather and mine were brothers !

    ?So yes a genetic predisposition does exist for me.

    John

  • rejnertj
    rejnertj andrew28896

    Posted

    Hi.

    I am the first in the family to get AF as far as I know. I also have diabetes type 1 and again I am the only one in the family that has diabetes. As far back as my great grandparents at least.

  • kate07761
    kate07761 andrew28896

    Posted

    I am my brother have AF.   My mother had heart failure but lived to 94 and her mother had a weak heart.   Having done Family History there does appear to be lots of heart based deaths in my mothers paternal family.     It's a tricky one but I do believe our bodies genetially have a tendendancy to re-act in one way or another.  A pre-disposition so to speak.   I ponder the fact that I don't get depressed believe me that is a miracle with all the pain I am in on a daily basis.   I'll take that as good luck and genetics.     Some people get cancer some don't etc.     Genetic medicine will turn the learning of your physicians upside down and its not that far off but maybe not soon enough for us - who knows!  

  • Gyorgy1950
    Gyorgy1950 andrew28896

    Posted

    Hi Andrew,

    the correct answer is that might be related to gene problemes. aFib itself is only a symptom which might be caaused by previous myocardial infarct, hypertension and by planty of other health conditions. But there is two subsets of patients with genetical risk factors:

    - hypertrophyc cardiomyopathy (HCM) 

    - lonely aFib (afib without any known reason)

    Concerning the HCM echocardiography can help the diagnosis.

    Recently a set of gene varints has been identified as likely direct cause of lonely aFibs. BUT this is still research. Further studies required for the validation and actually there is no any diagnostic or therapeutic advantage of knowing that somabody has genetical aFib.

    All the best

    György 

  • andrew28896
    andrew28896

    Posted

    Interesting, so it seems there could be a connection. I've also noticed from reading all the threads and posts on the AF forum here that a lot of us sufferers also suffer from acid reflux and digestion problems. I Wonder if acid reflux or the drugs given to treat it are a trigger or cause of AF?.

    • Gyorgy1950
      Gyorgy1950 andrew28896

      Posted

      Yes. Various gastrointestinal problems may induce afib. The common point is the vagal hypersesitivity of the upper gastric part. Important to emphesize that it is only trigger and not cause of the aFib. Many nonafibbers have this vagal hhypersensitivity without cardiac problems.
    • John5006
      John5006 Gyorgy1950

      Posted

      Hi Gyorgy,

      ?Expressing an ordinary mans point of view - not a scientific or medical point of view I've always considered that my paroxysmal AF - cause and subsequent triggers were two seperate issues

      ?In my view there were several causes all coming together at a moment in time ..... 1) genetic predisposition .... 2) existing hypertension .... 3)  carrying my cell phone in my shirt pocket for some 2 years (understand about electro hypersensitivity) and all of which lead to two years of palpitations , like massive palpitations, massive - like a mule was kicking me in the chest.

      ?However thanks to the brilliant work of my GP and the A & E team the day AF hit I was diagnosed within 9 hours of onset and treatment started. So vital is accurate and speedy diagnosis.

      ?After the first 4 months from onset I found my triggers were food. I consulted a Nutritionist changed my food intake which took several years to have an affect and I calmed the vagal nerve. - for me personally nowadays - a calm vagal nerve  = a calm heart. My last AF event since changing my diet was April 2015.

      John

    • kate07761
      kate07761 andrew28896

      Posted

      Yes it is clear from the forum a lot of us have gastro problems however I had a gastro problem 25 years before AF showed up.   I didn't take meds for it until the AF started and at that point it was often difficult to tell  if the AF  was being triggered by the reflux or not.   I think it a combination of triggers and when they all collide bingo AF.    Sometimes after a meal sometimes in middle of night.      Now having been on Lansoprazole for a while and having had an endosocopy it is noted that I have polps in stomach for which Lansoprazole are a known cause so you cannot win but just manage all conditions.    Mind you I wasn't told that  by doctors they just made of point of saying 'I' shouldn't take anymore Lansoprazole.     I'm currently reading a book about blood groups and it stricks me that as different blood groups have different predispositions to certain problems them maybe blood groups are a field of medicine that is paid little attention too!   

    • kate07761
      kate07761

      Posted

      Oh Happy Days  - Get the violins playing -  Had ablation 2 weeks ago and just had my first AF event ................. just as I eat a salad for lunch.    What was that we were saying about a food trigger!     It seems to be the action of eating as much as what you eat.       Pill Popped and chill out time in hope it will settle soon.       Now its happened and I have sought advise  - told to expect this in first 8 weeks.     I'm not convinced it will work but I am still hopeful. 

    • andrew28896
      andrew28896 kate07761

      Posted

      Mind over Matter Kate "it will work" keep thinking like that.

      I'm really sortry about this lunchtimes attack though, what an absulute bummer :¬(

      just a "blip" as your heart settles and gets used to being "normal" again after the ablation im sure

      It must be quite a traumatic experience for the heart being handled like that so im not surprised people have the odd attack in the few weeks following the procedure

      im sure once its settled down in a few weeks time that will be you episode free Forever!!! "Mind Over Matter" :¬wink

      Andy.

    • kate07761
      kate07761 andrew28896

      Posted

      Agggh the matter is winning over the mind.   Pop a pill not working as well post abalation would normally settle within 2 hours and its not settled.   Oh well back to chillaxing again.     Come on heart give me a break!  Do that thing where all l settles down and I feel the aaaaaah.   
    • rejnertj
      rejnertj kate07761

      Posted

      Happened to me after my last ablation. After three days I had my first episode and then once a week for over 3 months. So now I have asked for a Maze operation. Done 2 ablations and both have failed. Really hoping for the maze as the success rate is much better! Awful rehab time but if it gets rid of the AF I'll do it.

    • kate07761
      kate07761 andrew28896

      Posted

      Andrew     Heart is now behaving  - hurrah but I am exhausted.      It went on for about 4 hours and then I fell asleep with it (which is a first)   and slept for 2 hours and sometime in that sleep its corrected.  Phew.   Well that was different to before.   Might start a new thread to see how others have done.   I knew I was getting distant hints of it flipping since the ablation but they were more distant or that was what I was trying to convince myself about but clearly not so it knocks your confidence a bit but onwards and upwards. 
    • andrew28896
      andrew28896 John5006

      Posted

      I find the most ordinary of foods trigger me John , I would have thought it would have been spicy foods and curries but it seems to be carb laden foods such as pasta potatoes and bread of all things. Anything with caffeine in also but I would have expected that.
    • andrew28896
      andrew28896 kate07761

      Posted

      Hurrah, nice one Kate, I don't know about you but I'd pay a good price just to get that feeling you have when it stops, probably worth a good few hundred ££ for it don't you agree lol.

      Glad you're "normal" again :-)

    • andrew28896
      andrew28896 rejnertj

      Posted

      What is the "maze" op rdjnerti? I've never heard of that??.

    • kate07761
      kate07761 andrew28896

      Posted

      Andrew  - Yes I like that feeling when it stops  - I know what you mean.    Missed out on that today I was asleep - gone when it did it.      Still I will look on the positive that you can go to sleep with 'it'  I guess.   Feel zonked but tomorrow is another day and do I dare now eat something hmmmmm.   What fun we have. 

    • rejnertj
      rejnertj andrew28896

      Posted

      It's operation heart surgery. A big op but with 95% success rate and 5-6 months rehab. But I feel it would be worth it to stop having AF and not having to take all the damn meds and their side effects.

      [b]http://www.cts.usc.edu/mazeprocedure[b].html

    • andrew28896
      andrew28896 rejnertj

      Posted

      Ah right , sounds like a very serious op but like you say one that would be very worthwhile and rewarding if successful at stopping AF.
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