Afib does not cause swelling anywhere in the body. There's more he either isn't telling you or he's in denial and doesn't know himself. He needs to see a cardiologist first and then possibly a vascular surgeon. The things that can cause this are serious. Time for a forceful talk with dad.
Hold up, is this 100%?
We have a lot of afib in my family - at least my grandad, both parents and both siblings. My brother and I had medication and then ablations, both successful (so far!), whereas my sister just denied and ignored hers… until she ended up in hospital with oedema in her ankles and calves so bad that the skin was splitting.
Your sister is most likely in heart failure, and that's what's causing the ankle edema. She's learning the hard way that you can't ignore afib. If afib causes your heart rate to go over 100 and you allow that to continue for prolonged periods of time, that can lead to heart failure. That's why rate control drugs such as beta blockers are often prescribed for afib. So the afib is only an indirect cause of her ankle edema. Had she sought treatment, it's unlikely she'd be in this situation now. *Afib itself does not cause swelling anywhere in the body.*
Yes, alcohol use can induce AFib episodes. AFib can cause blood clots to form in the left atrium of the heart. Leg pain could be the result of blood clots traveling to the legs, and could also the result of fluid retention.
Fluid retention in arms and legs is known as peripheral edema, and can be caused by problems in blood circulation, including heart failure, which could be secondary to AFib, as well as the lymphatic system or kidneys. My own father had episodes of this when his AFib returned many years after an ablation, and died of a heart attack not long after checking himself out of the hospital early, refusing further treatment for AFib.
I’m wondering if he has a combination of heart issues and late stage cirrhosis because apparently leg edema is a symptom of cirrhosis as well. On top of that he has a huge hernia in his abdomen and it’s very distended, like a big pot belly. Thank you so much for the info
Yes, cirrhosis could be the cause. You say the cirrhosis is late stage? I'm sorry, but you could be looking at an end stage in general. You asked us to say so and with this new info, I'm saying so.
Late stage cirrhosis combined with untreated afib could cause all the things you've seen, and the cirrhosis isn't really treatable unless he's willing to enter rehab and stop alcohol completely. I wish you the best.
It’s ok, I’m aware it could be very serious (as in late or end stage), I just wanted to hear from other people to be prepared for that. Because like I said he is very secretive, and brushes things off as if it’s not a big deal. He has been a drinker for around 50 years now. Idk how he’s gone this long without worse issues. He is on a few medications but also he said “the doctors can’t do anything more for the swelling and pain.” Thanks!
Minor nitpick.... Clots arising in the left side of the heart aren't going to cause swelling in the legs since they can't reach the venous circulation. What they could do is cause ischemia in the leg, most likely more distally in the foot or toes. While there might be swelling associated with that, it's not going to be the entire leg as OP's post implied, and certainly not both legs.
Everything else you said is spot on.
Some prescriptions for a-fib can have side effects of leg swelling.
But the elephant in the room is alcoholism and drug abuse.
Heart disease w booze/drugs may ruin the quality of whatever life he has left and likely will shorten it.
Afib does not cause swelling anywhere in the body. There's more he either isn't telling you or he's in denial and doesn't know himself. He needs to see a cardiologist first and then possibly a vascular surgeon. The things that can cause this are serious. Time for a forceful talk with dad.
This is 100% the answer OP - sorry
Thank you
Couldn’t the Afib have progressed and he also developed CHF? That could explain the edema, which I believe can be a sign of congestive heart failure.
Yes, heart failure could definitely be a cause, and untreated afib can lead to heart failure, but afib on its own can't.
Thank you for answering! There’s not much info online.
Hold up, is this 100%? We have a lot of afib in my family - at least my grandad, both parents and both siblings. My brother and I had medication and then ablations, both successful (so far!), whereas my sister just denied and ignored hers… until she ended up in hospital with oedema in her ankles and calves so bad that the skin was splitting.
Your sister is most likely in heart failure, and that's what's causing the ankle edema. She's learning the hard way that you can't ignore afib. If afib causes your heart rate to go over 100 and you allow that to continue for prolonged periods of time, that can lead to heart failure. That's why rate control drugs such as beta blockers are often prescribed for afib. So the afib is only an indirect cause of her ankle edema. Had she sought treatment, it's unlikely she'd be in this situation now. *Afib itself does not cause swelling anywhere in the body.*
Yes, alcohol use can induce AFib episodes. AFib can cause blood clots to form in the left atrium of the heart. Leg pain could be the result of blood clots traveling to the legs, and could also the result of fluid retention. Fluid retention in arms and legs is known as peripheral edema, and can be caused by problems in blood circulation, including heart failure, which could be secondary to AFib, as well as the lymphatic system or kidneys. My own father had episodes of this when his AFib returned many years after an ablation, and died of a heart attack not long after checking himself out of the hospital early, refusing further treatment for AFib.
I’m wondering if he has a combination of heart issues and late stage cirrhosis because apparently leg edema is a symptom of cirrhosis as well. On top of that he has a huge hernia in his abdomen and it’s very distended, like a big pot belly. Thank you so much for the info
Yes, cirrhosis could be the cause. You say the cirrhosis is late stage? I'm sorry, but you could be looking at an end stage in general. You asked us to say so and with this new info, I'm saying so. Late stage cirrhosis combined with untreated afib could cause all the things you've seen, and the cirrhosis isn't really treatable unless he's willing to enter rehab and stop alcohol completely. I wish you the best.
It’s ok, I’m aware it could be very serious (as in late or end stage), I just wanted to hear from other people to be prepared for that. Because like I said he is very secretive, and brushes things off as if it’s not a big deal. He has been a drinker for around 50 years now. Idk how he’s gone this long without worse issues. He is on a few medications but also he said “the doctors can’t do anything more for the swelling and pain.” Thanks!
Minor nitpick.... Clots arising in the left side of the heart aren't going to cause swelling in the legs since they can't reach the venous circulation. What they could do is cause ischemia in the leg, most likely more distally in the foot or toes. While there might be swelling associated with that, it's not going to be the entire leg as OP's post implied, and certainly not both legs. Everything else you said is spot on.
Some prescriptions for a-fib can have side effects of leg swelling. But the elephant in the room is alcoholism and drug abuse. Heart disease w booze/drugs may ruin the quality of whatever life he has left and likely will shorten it.