An irregular or unpredictable heart beat. A hardening or build up of cholesterol plaque and other fatty deposits in the arteries. The act of inhaling solid or liquid materials into the lungs. A disorder in which muscles fail to move in a coordinated fashion. A heart disease in which the upper left chamber of the heart beats out of rhythm with the other three chambers.
Atrial fibrillation increases a person's stroke risk by six times.
AF is generally treatable with medication. The stem-like part of the brain that connects the brain's right and left hemispheres with the spinal cord. Responsible for non-thinking activities such as breathing, blood pressure and coordination of eye movements. A stroke that strikes the brain stem, which controls involuntary life- support functions such as breathing, blood pressure and heart beat. Stroke in the brain stem can be particularly devastating.