Age and the Occurrence of Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia
The prevalence of multifocal atrial tachycardia, or MAT is usually found in hospital patients who may be suffering from severe illnesses; e.g. coronary heart disease. Studies have found that there is a wide occurrence of MAT in patients at the average of 72 years old. There are also studies that claim that the average age occurrence for those patients is somewhere around 70 years old.
There have also been cases of multifocal atrial tachycardia among younger patients. This means, patients who are 18 years and below. These patients, however, do not manifest any ailments as compared as in the case of adults.
Associating Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia With Other Diseases
Multifocal atrial tachycardia is usually found in patients who are sufferers of pulmonary heart diseases. Obstructive lung diseases, infections, and embolism are examples of these pulmonary diseases.
Some MAT patients suffer from cardiac disease, normally for the elderly. This is usually coupled by an existing pulmonary disease which is serious enough to make both the heart and lungs work double time. Metabolic disorders, such as diabetes is also common with multifocal atrial tachycardia. The same goes to those who have just undergone surgery which resulted to complications like pneumonia, and congestive heart failure.
The Electrocardiogram and MAT Treatments
The electrocardiogram is very useful in diagnosing multifocal atrial tachycardia. The criteria use is based on the atrial beats the heart produces for every minute which is set at a hundred, which some people found to be too restraining. The range is set from 60 to 100 beats per minute and matched as against the actual clinical symptoms of the patient to be able to make an accurate diagnosis.
Patients with MAT are given general treatment to their previous or prevailing conditions that have given induced arrhythmia. Some patients are given magnesium and potassium therapy, especially those with hypokalemia, but not taken together with magnesium
Mortality Rates
MAT remains as a controllable if the condition causing it is also controlled. It is considered as only secondary to the prevailing condition of the patient. As such, initial treatment requires that the prevailing disease before MAT should be treated first or reverse to avoid a fatal consequence of MAT. So far, it was found that most patients with MAT were found to have died from the severe disease they are suffering than from arrhythmia.
