Skip to main content

Main menu

  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Vision, Mission and Values
    • Health and Economic Impact
    • Research Impact Video
    • Strategic Plan
  • Our Research
    • Research Focus
      • Brain Health
      • Cancer
      • Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence
      • Heart Health
      • Healthy Aging and Mobility
      • Immune System
      • Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Lung Health
      • Mental Health and Substance Use
    • Research Centres and Programs
      • BC Centre on Substance Use
      • Centre for Aging SMART
      • Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation
      • Centre for Lung Health
      • Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute
      • Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
      • Immunity and Infection Research Centre
      • International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries
      • M. H. Mohseni Institute of Urologic Sciences
      • Ovarian Cancer Research Centre
      • Community Research Program
      • Emergency Medicine Research Program
      • Hematology Research Program
      • Skin Research Program
      • Other Research Focus Areas
    • News and Stories
    • Researcher Directory
    • Events and Workshops
  • Research Services
    • New to VCHRI
      • Working at VCHRI
      • Regulations and Training
      • Membership with VCHRI
      • Learning and Development
    • Starting Your Project
      • Research Facilitation
      • Awards and Funding
      • Grant Management
      • Operational Approval
      • CST Cerner
    • Developing Your Project
      • Clinical Trials Administration
      • Clinical Research Unit
      • Research Privacy
      • Financial Policies and Procedures
    • Additional Support
      • Indigenous Health Research Unit
      • VCH-VCHRI AI Hub
      • Communications and Media Relations
      • Study Recruitment Support
      • Innovation and Industry Partnership
    • Internal Awards
    • Clinical Research
    • Indigenous Research
  • Participate in Research
    • Reasons to Participate
    • Participant Stories
    • Find a Study
    • Recruitment Support

User menu

  • Log in

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Our Research
  3. News and Stories
  4. Ask an expert: Now that I have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, what do I need to know to manage my heart health?

Ask an expert: Now that I have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, what do I need to know to manage my heart health?

Stories Mar 3, 2022 3 minutes

Simple lifestyle changes can help to both prevent and treat this common heart condition.

The most common cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF), affects up to 500,000 Canadians and contributes to approximately one quarter of strokes among people over 40 years of age. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Jason Andrade — who was named a ‘World Expert on Atrial Fibrillation’ by Expertscape — shares his insights into the latest approaches to prevent and treat AF.

Q: What is AF and what typically causes it?
A:
At its core, AF is caused by electrical signal irregularities in the top chambers of the heart that result in a chaotic and unusually rapid heartbeat. The likelihood of developing the condition increases with age, as well as with the severity and number of risk factors someone has, such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea and obesity.

While rarely life-threatening, AF can significantly impair the activity levels and quality of life of people affected by it. It substantially increases the risk of thromboembolic events, such as stroke, and puts patients at risk of developing ventricular dysfunction, such as heart failure, both of which contribute to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. 

Q: Is it related to high blood pressure or high cholesterol?
A:
While there is no relationship between AF and high cholesterol, high blood pressure—also known as hypertension—is the most significant modifiable risk factor for AF. In many cases, even people who fall within the higher end of the ‘normal’ range of blood pressure may still be at risk. For example, a systolic blood pressure in the pre-hypertensive range of 130-139 mmHg has been associated with a 28 per cent higher risk of developing AF compared to a range below 120 mmHg.

Q: Could I have inherited it from my parents?
A:
There is a genetic susceptibility that exists for all heart rhythm disorders. However, genetic susceptibility does not mean that someone will definitely develop AF. Additionally, there are many underlying health conditions that can be effectively treated to help stymie the development of an arrhythmia.

Q: Are there natural remedies or lifestyle changes that can help manage it?
A:
Research has shown that lifestyle modifications significantly decrease the incidence of AF and improve quality of life for those affected. In fact, research has shown that patients who chose to undergo aggressive risk factor modification had better symptom control, a significant reduction in AF burden and greater freedom from recurrent AF compared to those who did not. 

The 2020 Canadian Cardiovascular Society AF guidelines recommend that patients with AF undertake a tailored and individualized exercise prescription of at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic and resistance exercise at least three to five days per week (targeting 200 minutes a week).

The guidelines also recommend that people 65 years of age and older engage in activities that maintain or increase flexibility at least 10 minutes per day and at least two days per week. 

Additional modifications that older adults can make to manage AF include aiming to lose at least 10 per cent of their body weight to a target BMI of less than 27 kg/m2, maintaining their blood pressure to a target of less than 130/80 mmHg and limiting alcohol consumption to less than or equal to one standard drink per day. 

Q: What are the most recent and best medical practices to treat AF?
A:
The contemporary management of AF is centered on symptom improvement, and reducing morbidity, mortality and AF-related emergency room visits or hospitalizations. Given this, treatment plans typically focus on using a combination of medications and procedures in order to control the heart rate or heart rhythm, as well as medications to reduce the risk of stroke. 

My recent research studied the question of which treatment is the most effective for the management of patients with highly symptomatic AF. Our findings showed that a catheter ablation procedure—a minimally invasive day surgery—is more effective at controlling an arrhythmia. It also showed greater improvements in quality of life, and reduced patients’ need to access health care resources.

Dr. Jason Andrade is a cardiac electrophysiologist and the director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory and Atrial Fibrillation Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital. He is a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia and a researcher with the Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation. He also serves as co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines Committee, chair of the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society Device Committee and medical chair of heart rhythm disease for the Cardiovascular Disease Network in British Columbia. 

Researchers

Jason Andrade

Related Articles

Welcoming the new Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute to VCHRI

Preventative heart care leverages family connections

Extreme heat linked to lower cardiac arrest survival in B.C.

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • Email

Related Research Centres/Programs

Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute

Get the latest research headlines in your inbox

Subscribe

Recent News and Stories

Type
Announcement

Top Graduating Doctoral Student Award and Rising Star Award 2025 Recipients

Jul 8, 2025 award
Type
Stories

Smart wearables for faster cardiac arrest emergency response

Jul 3, 2025 wearables, data, innovation
Type
Stories

Learning Health Systems strives to elevate patient-centred care

Jun 30, 2025 care delivery, knowledge translation, patient engagement
See more news

Get updates!

Join our newsletter mailing list to stay up to date on features and releases.

Subscribe

Quick Links

  • News and Stories
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Media Enquiries

Follow Us

  • LinkedIn
  • X
  • YouTube

© 2025 VCHRI. All rights reserved.

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy