can chronic a-fib cause constant shortness of breath? - Heart Disorders Message Board

madison55 · 06-28-2003, 12:14 PM

Does anyone out there have chronic atrial fibrillation? Does it cause you constant shortness of breath? My father is 84 and has atrial fibrillation. Since this began, he is short of breath with the least little exertion. Even walking from one room to the next will leave him breathless. The cardiologist says that the a-fib shouldn't be doing this to him but eveything that I read on the internet says that a-fib causes shortness of breath. I would welcome any comments.

crabbycdn · 07-05-2003, 02:20 AM

I live in an area of Canada where what you describe occurs with a lot of seniors. On investigation it was found that this was often exposure to low-level carbon monoxide poisoning. Seniors will often leave gas appliances unattended, not change furnace filters or maintain heaters, furnaces, etc. They also often will leave vehicles running or let pilot lights go out. Carbon monoxide poisoning can affect a person for up two years afterward. Elderly and particularly those with existing cardiace problems are even more likely to experience extreme shortness of breath and exacerbation of cardiac symptoms......not what you were thinking about but something you might investigate anyway.