Is atrial fibrillation common with HCM and whats the best way to treat it?
Atrial fibrillation (disorganised activation of the heart muscle) is very common in HCM. It is present in five per cent of people at diagnosis and develops in approximately five to ten per cent of people in the five years following diagnosis. The best way to treat it is to try to prevent it with the use of medication such as betablockers and amiodarone. If someone goes into atrial fibrillation, normal rhythm can be restored using a technique called DC cardioversion. This requires a brief general anaesthetic and the heart is shocked back into a normal rhythm. If atrial fibrillation is frequent or prolonged it is generally advised that people take warfarin to prevent clot formation in the atria. In some people it is not possible to restore normal rhythm. In this instance we try to control the heart rate with drugs such as betablockers or calcium antagonists. With HCM will my heart continue to enlarge? In about 95 per cent of cases the thickening of the heart muscle stops when full growth
