Characterized by irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation is a disorder that affects up to 750,000 people in France. To know how to detect it, knowing how to take your pulse is essential.
- Atrial fibrillation is a mostly silent heart disorder characterized by an irregular heartbeat.
- To detect this arrhythmia which can lead to atrial fibrillation, it is possible to take your pulse.
Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness or the feeling of having a weight on the chest. Here are some of the symptoms that can put you on the path to atrial fibrillation.
The most common heart disorder in adults over the age of 40, atrial fibrillation is a silent disease in one out of three people, that is to say without easily identifiable symptoms or which seem apparently without gravity. However, this disease exposes to a risk up to five times higher of stroke than a healthy person.
It is therefore essential to know how to detect the signs, among which are palpitations and the feeling of an irregular heartbeat, and to know how to take your pulse to check if the heart is beating normally or if you are facing a arrhythmia.
Know how to take your pulse, instructions for use
To properly take your pulse, you can use your index and middle fingers, which are placed at the level of the radial artery – at the level of the small gutter located under the thumb. We then perceive the weight and measure it using the second hand of our watch or with a stopwatch. It is also possible to take your pulse at the level of the carotid, at the level of the neck. We then place three fingers, the middle finger, the index finger and the ring finger, just next to the trachea.
The first thing to determine is whether the rhythm is regular or not. It is also necessary to count: how many pulsations felt in one minute (one can also, it is arithmetic, count the pulsations during 15b seconds and multiply by 4).
A normal pulse should be between 50 and 100 beats per minute. The heart rate should not fall below 40 beats per minute, nor go above 120 beats per minute. Above 120, it may be atrial fibrillation, the person should then consult their doctor. Below 50 beats, the heart rate is too slow, but can be seen in people who are very athletic or at rest. A frequency of 100 beats per minute can also be normal if you have just practiced a physical activity.
These variations in frequency may depend on the sporting state, the emotional state, the physical conditions of the person, the taking of medication or even certain illnesses.
Below, the interview of Pr Philippe Mabo:
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