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Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia. There are four main types of atrial fibrillation—paroxysmal, persistent, long-term persistent, and permanent atrial fibrillation. The type of atrial fibrillation that you have depends on how often atrial fibrillation occurs and how it responds to treatment.
You may experience a brief event—a paroxysm—of atrial fibrillation. It may pass without symptoms , or you may feel it strongly. It usually stops in less than 24 hours but may last up to a week. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation can happen repeatedly.
You may need treatment or your symptoms may go away on their own. When this kind of atrial fibrillation alternates with a heartbeat that is slower than normal, it is called tachybrady syndrome.
Persistent atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the abnormal heart rhythm lasts for more than a week. It may ultimately stop on its own but probably will need treatment.
With this condition, the abnormal heart rhythms last for more than a year without going away.
Sometimes atrial fibrillation does not get better, even when you have tried several times to restore a normal heart rhythm with medicines or other treatments. At this point, your atrial fibrillation is considered permanent.