Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a quivery, fluttery heartbeat. You might also hear the doctor call it arrhythmia.

If you have AFib, treating it cuts your risk of having a stroke. But it can be costly, even if you have insurance.

Today, researchers are still hard at work on finding ways to treat, manage, and prevent AFib and its complications.

AFib doesn’t so much have types as it has durations. Doctors classify it by how long it lasts, or what causes it.

The basic cause of AFib is disorganized signals that make your heart's two upper chambers squeeze very fast and out of sync.

Studies have found that both type 1 and type 2 diabetes likely raise your risk of developing AFib.

If you have hyperthyroidism, you have a much higher chance of getting AFib. And the odds go up as you get older.

There are dozens of endocrine disorders, but a few are considered especially strong risk factors for AFib.

If your heart races rather than beats and the feeling lasts for a few minutes, that’s a sign you might have AFib.

AFib also affects younger people. It can even affect teens and children, although less frequently.

Being older raises your chances for AFib. Older people are also more likely to have other conditions that raise AFib risk.

You’re less likely to get AFib if you’re Asian, Black, or Hispanic in America than if you’re white. 

AFib may or may not cause symptoms. Your doctor could find it during a regular physical.

To help diagnose AFib, your doctor may use a transesophageal echocardiogram to see how blood flows through heart valves.

Studies show that people with AFib who understand their condition and what it means to them have fewer symptoms.

If you have AFib, you'll need help keeping your heart in a normal rhythm. Various specialists will make up your AFib team.

Treatments such as medications, nonsurgical procedures, and surgery can slow your heartbeat and bring it back into a normal rhythm.

Your HAS-BLED score tells the doctor how to manage your care. This way, everyone who has AFib is not treated the same way.

Heart rate control is a key way to manage atrial fibrillation. Doctors consider it one of the four pillars of AFib care.

One way to control AFib is to take rhythm control medication, which helps your heart return to and stay in a normal rhythm.