Do you ever feel a pounding, fluttering, or racing sensation in your chest? What about light-headedness, confusion, or shortness of breath all at the same time? If you experience these symptoms, you may have atrial fibrillation, or ‘AFib.’ Left untreated, AFib can lead to life-threatening blood clots or a weakened heart that results in heart failure. Atrial fibrillation is a serious health matter. Persons that suffer atrial fibrillation are five to seven times more likely than the general population to have a stroke. In this post to HealthConnection.TV, U.T. Health Science Center at Tyler cardiologist Dr. Sam Daya answers questions on diagnosing and treating atrial fibrillation.

What is atrial fibrillation or AFib? (first question)

What causes atrial fibrillation? (skip to 0:32)

How do you know if you have atrial fibrillation? Are there specific symptoms? (skip to 0:51)

How is atrial fibrillation diagnosed? (skip to 1:47)

How is atrial fibrillation treated? (skip to 2:55)

Is atrial fibrillation dangerous? (skip to 3:57)

What is the connection between atrial fibrillation and an increased risk for stroke? (skip to 4:28)

Can atrial fibrillation be prevented? (skip to 5:46)

What does the future hold for treating patients with atrial fibrillation? (skip to 6:24)

When a cough becomes chronic and productive, when lower respiratory infections become frequent, the culprit may be a disease known as bronchiectasis. In some cases, bronchiectasis is congenital. But it most commonly arises as a complication of other diseases or from environmental exposures. Pulmonology specialist Dr. William Girard answers questions about bronchiectasis in this post to HealthConnection.TV.

What is bronchiectasis and what causes it? (first question)

How is bronchiectasis different from other lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis or pulmonary fibrosis? (skip to 1:19)\

Is bronchiectasis progressive like other lung diseases such as COPD? (skip to 2:25)

Why are women more prone to bronchiectasis than men? (skip to 3:44)

What are the symptoms of bronchiectasis? (skip to 5:22)

How is bronchiectasis diagnosed? (skip to 6:34)

How is bronchiectasis treated? (skip to 7:10)

Can bronchiectasis be prevented? (skip to 9:37)