A Northern Ireland mum is speaking out to raise awareness after she discovered she had a heart condition, that was originally thought to be panic attacks.
Ciara Patrick, 39, from Co Tyrone, first noticed symptoms of atrial fibrillation eight years ago. She would feel anxious and noticed her heart rate was fast, but it was initially put down to panic attacks.
After several further episodes, she sought medical advice and then in August 2021 she experienced an episode of atrial fibrillation whilst she was in her garden, and originally thought her symptoms were down to dehydration and running around.
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In Northern Ireland, according to the most recent figures from British Heart Foundation (BHF), around 43,000 people have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
Someone with atrial fibrillation is five times more likely to have a potentially fatal or life-changing stroke. Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm and is believed to contribute to one in five strokes.
The Cookstown mum explained how her diagnosis came after an attack one day whilst out in the garden.
"My atrial fibrillation episode happened two days before my daughter started secondary school. We had decided to take her and some other girls from her primary school for a walk with other mums around their new school grounds.
“I could feel my heart fluttering. It was a sunny day and I had been rushing about and I’d probably not drank enough water. That evening I started mowing the lawn and when I bent down to start the mower, that’s when the attack happened.
“The world felt it had slowed down. My heart started to beat rapidly and erratically. It felt like there was a fish flapping inside my chest. It was a horrific feeling. I felt extremely dizzy,” she said.
Since being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, Ciara has been prescribed a beta blocker called bisoprolol, sees a cardiologist and has made changes to her lifestyle to help prevent further attacks.
“One of the things that really bothered me initially was feeling like I had lost control over my body, but I’ve realised there’s a lot you can do that makes a difference.
“Luckily, I have been able to manage it and understand what can trigger it so avoid these things,” she explained.
The mother of two also said she hopes research will lead to breakthroughs to help those with atrial fibrillation.
“I hope research may develop and be able to provide more help, particularly with identification of atrial fibrillation. Something that gave me a lot of relief in the early stages of diagnosis was hearing people’s stories that were similar to mine. They weren’t living in fear and it made me feel much better. While everyone is different, I hope my story can give someone on the younger end of having the condition the reassurance that they’re not alone.”
The BHF says better recognition and diagnosis of the condition is likely to be the key factor behind the rise in the number of people known to have atrial fibrillation. However, it is estimated that there are at least another 270,000 people in the UK who remain undiagnosed and unaware. The charity says that further research is needed to find new ways to identify people who are at risk of atrial fibrillation so they can be diagnosed earlier.
The most common symptoms of AF are palpitations, breathlessness, and dizziness. However, many people do not experience any symptoms meaning that they are unaware of the condition and treatments, as well as their increased risk of stroke. AF can also be intermittent, increasing the challenge of identifying those who have it.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the BHF, said: “These figures show a quite astonishing rise in the number of people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
“Research has helped us understand the links between atrial fibrillation and stroke and that has spurred the efforts we have seen in recent years to identify people with this potentially dangerous heart rhythm.
"What remains troubling is the sheer number of people who are undiagnosed and unaware that they are living with a heightened risk of stroke. Finding people with this hidden threat must remain a priority.
“We also need to continue to harness the power of science to develop new and innovative tools for identifying people at increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation so we can try and prevent the condition developing or at least identify people earlier if they develop it, as there are effective treatments available to reduce their risk.”
The figures have been released as the BHF launches a new campaign calling on the public to support research into heart and circulatory diseases. The campaign aims to inspire people’s wonder at the complexity and preciousness of their own hearts and how lifesaving research can help if it goes wrong.
People can find out more about the campaign at: bhf.org.uk/this-is-science
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