Guide To Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms

Swelling

When the heart experiences atrial fibrillation episodes repeatedly over time, it can become weakened by the excessive workload and burden it has been under. When the patient's heart becomes weak enough to where it cannot pump enough blood to meet the demand of their body, it means the muscle is beginning to fail. When the heart fails, blood is unable to move against the force of gravity back to the heart as well as it would be able to otherwise. When the blood cannot circulate efficiently because the heart is not pumping it well enough, it begins to pool in the lower extremities of the patient's body. The accumulation of blood in the feet and lower legs causes excess fluid in the blood to be forced through the walls of the veins when they meet their maximum expansion threshold. The fluid forced from the veins accumulates in the nearby tissues and produces swelling in the feet and lower legs.