TRANSCRIPT:
It was on Melbourne Cup day last year when the signs became too big to ignore for Melburnian Peter Grady.
The 64-year-old had already been experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath when exercising, but had dismissed it as part of the ageing process.
But after a 24-hour long episode of symptoms, including now chest pain, he knew he needed to go to the hospital.
"The worst thing about it is - it's not just a 24 hour period that is happening with all the symptoms, but then once it does stop... you are absolutely exhausted because your heart has been racing, full pace and very heavily for 24 hours. It's like you've run a 24-hour marathon. So even when you fibrillation stop, you're just absolutely exhausted from having run this marathon for the last 24 hours. So to come down and feel better again that can take a good 24 hours too. I think I was short of having a stroke, but that's always possibility because with a-fibrillation - an irregular heartbeat - your heart is not pumping properly and you could develop a clot in that time."
That close call put him in touch with the right health professionals to manage his condition.
He says if he knew then what he knows he, he would have sought help a lot earlier.
"My recommendation to anybody is: if you have anything going on that is irregular with your heart - then go and see the GP. Don't sort of muck around and let them say: you've come here prematurely don't worry about it. Because these things can build; and you might not have severe symptoms of a-fibrillation. But that might be all happening in the background that you're developing clots and things. So it's best to have it addressed as soon as you feel there's something not quite right."
Atrial fibrillation, also called a-fib or A-F, is estimated to affect half a million Australians - particularly those aged 55 years and over.
Professor Jason Kovacic is the director and CEO of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney.
"AF is a risk factor for stroke, heart failure and dementia. So, it is very important to be screening for this, and making these diagnoses. So, it's classically felt by a doctor (with a stethoscope) as an irregular pulse; or classically the textbook say: an irregularly irregular pulse. So, there's really, totally chaotic and random (heart) beats that are interspersed by periods of fast beats and periods of slow beat."
He says diagnosing the condition can be complicated by cases where people aren't symptomatic.
Screening for the condition is not an essential part of the Medicare-reimbursible heart health checks.
It can be confirmed by requesting an electrocardiogram. Even data from your smartwatch can be helpful to pick up early warning signs.
Professor Kovacic explains.
"So the heart health checks, it focuses on blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. And those are the factors that drive heart attack risk. So that's the current way the heart health checks are calibrated. You know heart disease is the number one killer in our society. And it's not all just heart attacks. There are other things like atrial fibrillation, as we're saying. I think there is need for expanding these heart health checks. And that's something we're working with the government and other bodies; like the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance and Heart Foundation to try and expand and recalibrate these tests for the betterment of all Australian heart health."
A survey of 1,014 Australian adults aged 18 years and over has found that 1 in 3 Australians are unaware they have atrial fibrillation.
Tanya Hall is the CEO and founder of charity Hearts4Heart that commissioned the survey.
She says even though those aged 55 years and over are at greater risk, family history and other heart health conditions means younger Australians can also be affected.
She herself started experiencing A-F symptoms in her early 20s, connected to a heart condition she was born with.
"I was actually born with heart problems and head surgery at an early age. And so like a lot of people with congenital heart disease, atrial fibrillation is something that you can develop later in life. But I experienced palpitations and tiredness, chest pain, and so forth - and so I was in and out of hospital, and it affected my ability to work and live normally. But once that I was treated for atrial fibrillation, and I was able to get back into the workforce and live a somewhat normal life. So you know, early detection is really important."
She says has been taking up the issue of expanding the issue of expanding the heart health check with the federal government as part of the Medicare Benefits Schedule review.
But in the meantime, she says Australians should be aware of the warning signs, speak to a GP if there are concerns, and practice lifestyle measures to reduce the risk.
I'm 48 now. And so, you know, it is something that's managed and it is something I have managed I look after my health, I make sure that I eat well. I don't smoke, I limit alcohol, eat healthy, all those things are really important to reduce your risk of atrial fibrillation. While it's important to obviously be treated for atrial fibrillation, in terms of medical therapies, we also have a part to play I think in living the best life and managing atrial fibrillation too."
Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Week runs from 18 September until 24 September.
