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Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a common heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat and can increase the risk of stroke. This page covers key facts about AF, including symptoms, treatments, and who’s most at risk. Many GP practices across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland now have quick, easy-to-use monitors to help detect AF early.

1 million people across the UK are affected by Atrial Fibrillation.

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Many people have AF and don’t know they do. AF increases your risk of a blood clot developing in your heart which can travel to your brain and cause a stroke. The good news is that, with treatment, these risks can be dramatically reduced.

Atrial fibrillation (sometimes called afib or AF) is a type of heart rhythm problem where your heartbeat is not steady. Normally, the natural pacemaker in your heart sends out a regular electrical impulse that travels through your heart and makes it beat in time. But if you have AF, extra impulses fire off randomly from different points causing the top of your heart to twitch (or fibrillate). The result is often an irregular and sometimes very fast pulse.

Anyone can get AF, but you may be more likely to get it if:

  • You’re aged 55 or older
  • You’re a man
  • You’re living with obesity or overweight
  • You smoke
  • You take certain medicines
  • You do endurance sports.

AF can also be caused by another condition, such as:

  • High blood pressure
  • Heart conditions like coronary heart disease and heart failure
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • An overactive thyroid
  • Diabetes
  • Sleep apnoea.

The main symptoms of AF are:

  • An irregular heartbeat, where your pulse is not steady
  • Suddenly feeling like your heart is pounding, racing, fluttering, skipping or missing a beat (heart palpitations) – this may last for a few seconds or up to a few minutes
  • A heartbeat faster than 100 beats per minute
  • Feeling very tired
  • Finding it harder to exercise
  • Chest pain or tightness
  • Feeling short of breath, lightheaded, dizzy or like you might faint.

Sometimes there are no symptoms, and AF is found as part of a routine check-up or when you’re having tests for something else.

If a GP thinks you could have AF, they will refer you to a heart specialist (cardiologist). At your appointment, they will ask about your symptoms and check your heart rate.

You will also have tests to see if anything else could be causing your symptoms and to check your heart rhythm.

Tests may include:

  • An electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • An echocardiogram (echo)
  • A chest X-ray
  • Blood tests.


A quick and simple test can be done at your GP practice.

You’ll hold the metal handle of the device – it’s non-invasive and only takes a minute to check your heart rhythm. Your GP may offer this during a routine appointment if you’re at increased risk of AF.

If you have been diagnosed with AF, you will have regular check-ups to make sure your symptoms are under control.

You may be given medicine to:

  • Control the rate and rhythm of your heart, such as beta blockers
  • Lower the risk of blood clots or stroke (anticoagulants).
 
Other possible treatments for AF include:
  • Surgery to burn or freeze a section of the heart (ablation)
  • Using electricity to reset your heart rhythm (electrical cardioversion)
  • Having a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted.
  • Sometimes AF can be caused by another health condition or medicine. In these cases, treating the condition or stopping the medicine can improve the symptoms.

There is currently no cure for AF, but treatment should help manage the symptoms and lower the risk of complications like blood clots, stroke and heart failure. You should be able to carry on doing most things as usual, including exercise. You may have to avoid intense exercise. You should try not to exercise when you’re having symptoms of AF.

Pulse checking with fingers and writst

Checking your own pulse

  1. Sit down for five minutes – do not smoke or drink caffeine before taking the reading
  2. Hold your left hand out with your palm facing up and elbow slightly bent
  3. Firmly place the index and middle finger of your right hand on your left wrist, at the base of the thumb (between the wrist and the tendon attached to the thumb)
  4. Using the second hand on a clock or watch, count the number of beats for 30 seconds, and then double that number to get your heart rate in beats per minute.


A normal heart rate should be regular and between 60 and 100 beats a minute when you’re resting. In AF, the heart rate is irregular and can sometimes be very fast, higher than 100 beats a minute.

What should I do if I have concerns?

Here in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, we are encouraging patients who are concerned about whether they might have AF symptoms to contact their GP as soon as possible. The GP can speak to you about your symptoms, tell you more about the condition, and carry out tests to help with a diagnosis and treatment.

GP talking to a patient, an example of a possible scenario at Saffron Healthcare Hub
Heart rate used for the Atrial Fibrillation campaign.

Heart Rhythm Week

Heart Rhythm Week runs from 2nd-8th June and is an opportunity to raise awareness of Atrial Fibrillation and the signs and symptoms to look out for. Above you can also find ways to reduce your risk of AF and how to check your own pulse to notice signs earlier.

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