Infectious Diseases

Overview

Your healthcare provider usually diagnoses infectious diseases using one or more lab tests. Your provider can look for signs of disease by:

Swabbing your nose or throat.
Getting blood, pee (urine), poop (stool) or spit (saliva) samples.
Taking a biopsy or scraping a small sample of skin or other tissue.
Getting imaging (X-rays, CT scans or MRIs) of affected parts of your body.

Some test results, like from a nose swab, come back quickly, but other results might take longer. For instance, sometimes bacteria has to be grown in a lab (cultured) from a sample before you can get your test result.

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Symptoms

When to see a doctor

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Diagnosis & treatment

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