Burping is a common symptom during atrial fibrillation events
Dear Dr. Roach: My husband is 88 years old. He has atrial fibrillation. The strange thing is that when his heart goes into this rhythm, he burps constantly. It’s very annoying to him and to people around him. His cardiologist has no clue as to why this happens. Do you? — J.H.
Answer: Atrial fibrillation is a chaotic loss of rhythm in the heart. It can be present all the time, or it can come and go, in which case it is called “intermittent” or “paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.”
Both constant and intermittent a fib can cause the problem of a too-fast heart rate. But they also increase the risk of a blood clot, which can cause a stroke if it goes to the brain and blocks the blood supply to brain tissue.
As far as burping being associated with a paroxysm of atrial fibrillation, I do have at least a clue why this happens.
The vagus nerve takes information to and from both the heart and the digestive system. It is not clear to me whether issues in the digestive system can trigger an episode of atrial fibrillation, but many people identify burping as a symptom during atrial fibrillation events.
Whether this is cause or effect is not clear.
I’m publishing this answer more because burping can be an important indication of the existence of this serious rhythm disorder. If left untreated, 5 percent of people will have a stroke in any given year.
Because atrial fibrillation is so important, people with episodes of periodic burping (and their doctors) should consider the possibility, especially if there is an associated fast or irregular heart rate or palpitations.
One German study suggested that simethicone (Gas-X and others) might be able to stop atrial fibrillation in people whose atrial fibrillation is triggered by intestinal gas.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible.