GENE SIMMONS Discusses Heart Scare (Video)

March 8, 2016

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons recently sits down with Pfizer chief medical officer Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D. to discuss his heart scare with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, a type of irregular heartbeat.

"I had never heard of the term AFib, but about ten years ago, we were on tour some place, and on stage, the temperature goes up about a hundred, with all the stage lights," Gene said (see video below). "And my heart would go, [imitates irregular heart rhythm] — like that. I started to get dizzy and perspire and short of breath. So I called a doctor, and he showed up and said, 'Okay, here's what's going on. There's something called AFib,' and he went down the list. And it was a lot to take in."

He added: "Since that event, I haven't really had recurring problems, because I get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, but am I prone to AFib? You betcha."

According to Pfizer, AFib is the most common form of irregular heartbeat, and it affects more than three million Americans. It can cause the heart to quiver, race, or seemingly skip a beat. This happens because the top chambers of the heart, the atria, don't conduct a normal electrical signal and can struggle to properly pump blood through the heart. So, blood that should move out of these chambers can pool and form clots. This can be dangerous because clots can travel to the brain and cause strokes, or block blood flow and lead to heart failure.

AFib can exist without any symptoms, so people can walk around with it and not know it. This is why it's important to see a doctor for regular checkups, because sometimes they're the only ones who can diagnose it. They will listen to your heart, feel your pulse, and may do an electrocardiogram, also known as an EKG. An EKG may sound dramatic, but it's a simple and painless test that involves putting sensors on different parts of your body so doctors can see the rate of your heartbeat, as well as the timing and strength of the electrical signals as they travel through the heart chambers.

AFib generally affects older people and those with heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, kidney disease, or diabetes. Risk factors include high alcohol or caffeine consumption, family history, and obesity.

Find more on Kiss
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).