I had ablation therapy at Vanderbilt in 2003. I had suffered episodes off and on for 12 years. In my case they said the cause was atrial tissue growing into the pulmonary veins. I was in my 50's when they did it and have been fine ever since.

The big danger of a-fib is that clots can develop in the atria during the fibrillation. When the heart converts and beats normally, the clots get pumped out and can hit the brain causing strokes.

If ablation therapy is available from an experienced doc, I'd highly recommend it. Meanwhile, take your anticoagulants to avoid clots.