What are the consequences of atrial enlargement?

A prolonged period of atrial dilation may lead to atrial fibrillation (AF), which is a severe disorder of atrial electrical activity and one of the most common clinical arrhythmias. Details are as follows: The severity of AF symptoms is influenced by the ventricular rate. When the ventricular rate is not fast, symptoms may not appear, but most patients experience palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and other symptoms. When the ventricular rate exceeds 150 beats per minute, it may induce heart failure or angina pectoris. AF is often complicated by systemic embolism, with emboli originating from the left atrium, mostly in the left atrial appendage. When mitral stenosis or mitral valve prolapse is combined with AF, the incidence of cerebral embolism is higher. Once AF occurs, it is essential to actively seek and treat the underlying heart disease and control the triggering factors. AF patients should also actively undergo anticoagulant therapy. For patients with valve disease, anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin are needed. For those without valve disease, a scoring system should be used to assess the risk of embolism. AF patients also require treatment to restore and maintain sinus rhythm. If electrical cardioversion is chosen, antiarrhythmic drugs should be administered a few days before. In addition, aggressive ventricular rate control treatment is necessary. The consequences of AF caused by atrial dilation are severe and should not be overlooked.