The American Heart Association defines arrhythmia as any change in the regular sequence of electrical impulses. Depending on how fast the impulses are, they can cause the heart to beat too slow, too quickly or erratically. While sometimes harmless, heart arrhythmia can be bothersome and even life-threatening sometimes.
Causes of heart arrhythmia
A person with a healthy heart should have a resting heart rate of 60-100 beats per minute. In healthier and fitter individuals, such as athletes, the heart rate can be less than 60 beats per minute. Many factors could contribute to an irregular heartbeat such as alcohol abuse, excessive coffee consumption, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Other factors include overactive thyroid gland, smoking, dietary supplements, drug abuse, mental stress, structural changes of the heart, scarring of the heart, and more. Long-term arrhythmia in healthy persons is usually because of external triggers like an electric shock or drug abuse.
Signs and symptoms of heart arrhythmia
Heart arrhythmia produces a wide variety of symptoms depending on the underlying causes. For instance, a premature beat may feel like a skipped beat or fluttering sensation in the chest. It may also be due to atrial fibrillation. However, there are general symptoms that occur when arrhythmias last long enough to affect heart function. These include;
- Chest pain
- Breathlessness (dyspnea)
- Fluttering in the chest
- Sudden weakness
- Syncope
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue
- Trouble when exercising
- Palpitations
- Lightheadedness
- Confusion
- Sweating
Not all patients experience the above symptoms, and they sometimes become noticeable during routine examinations. It’s also worth noting that the symptoms vary depending on the type of arrhythmia. In tachycardia, the heart beats too fast while in bradycardia, the heart beats too slow. Ventricular arrhythmia, also known as atrial fibrillation, causes the chambers to beat in an irregular pattern and out of sync with the lower chambers.
Seek urgent medical care if you experience ventricular arrhythmia. It occurs when the heart beats erratically, causing the ventricles to quiver instead of pumping blood. Erratic heartbeat, in turn, causes a drop in blood pressure and blood supply to vital organs. It is one of the deadliest forms of arrhythmia.
Prevention and treatment
It’s possible to manage heart arrhythmia, like most heart conditions, by making better lifestyle choices. The good news is most forms of arrhythmia are harmless. Once detected, doctors will find out if it reflects normal processes of the heart or it’s due to an abnormally. If it’s a severe type of arrhythmia, the doctor will set a treatment plan that seeks to:
- Prevent the formation of blood clots and reduce the risk of stroke. Anti-clotting is particularly important for those with atrial fibrillation.
- Treat heart disease that may be triggering the irregular heartbeat
- Reduce any risk of stroke and heart disease
- Restore normal heart rhythm
- Control the heart rate within the normal range
Individuals with ventricular arrhythmia collapse within seconds and soon afterward, stop breathing. If that happens, call 911 and perform CPR immediately. Use an AED, if one is available, to deliver an electrical shock to restart the patient’s heartbeat.
Signing up for classes at an AHA certified provider can better prepare you for such an emergency.
