Heart arrhythmia causes symptoms & treatment

Table of Contents

Know About Arrhythmia

An arrhythmia can be described as an irregular heartbeat. With this medical condition, an individual’s heart may beat too fast, too slow, too early, or with an irregular rhythm. It can be a medical emergency, or it could be harmless. But ensure to report to your healthcare professional if you feel something unusual is happening with your heartbeat.

Arrhythmias occur due to non-efficient or improper functioning of the electrical signals that coordinate heartbeats. It may feel like the heart added a beat, skipped a beat, or it is “fluttering.” You may feel it is beating rapidly (tachycardia in medical terms) or too slow (bradycardia in medical terms), or you might not notice anything.

In this blog, you are likely to get a basic overview of this medical condition, its symptoms, causes, first aid, self-treatment, doctor’s treatment, and precautions that need to be taken to avoid arrhythmia.

What is Arrhythmia?

Arrhythmia refers to a category of medical conditions that cause your heart to beat irregularly, too quickly, or too slowly. Several classes of arrhythmia include:

tachycardia, or a fast heartbeat
bradycardia, or a slow heartbeat
early heartbeat, or premature contraction
irregular heartbeat also called a flutter or fibrillation

Nearly everyone is likely to experience an abnormal heart rhythm at least once. This medical condition is common and usually harmless, but it may be problematic in some cases. When an arrhythmia interferes with blood flow in your system, it can damage your brain, lungs, and other vital organs. If not treated on time, arrhythmias may be life-threatening.

Most arrhythmia cases are not severe and less likely to cause complications. However, some may increase the risk of heart stroke or cardiac arrest. Some individuals may notice their doctor using the term “dysrhythmia” while referring to an irregular heartbeat. Although arrhythmia and dysrhythmia have a similar meaning, arrhythmia is more prevalent.

cardiac-arrest.

When and why does it happen?

Arrhythmia can occur due to physical, medical, emotional, or genetic causes. In some cases, it is challenging to find when and why it happens. Antibiotics and other drugs can trigger arrhythmia in people. These may include medications that are usually prescribed to treat:

high blood pressure
allergies
depression
colds

Physical alterations to the heart or changes in blood flow can also cause arrhythmia. Other medical health conditions may also be responsible, including:

dehydration
high blood pressure
sleep apnea
thyroid disorder
diabetes
electrolyte imbalance, including low levels of potassium, calcium, or magnesium.

In some cases, other physical or lifestyle factors can also be held responsible for the arrhythmia. These include exercise, smoking, coughing, drinking alcohol, or strong emotions such as anger, stress, or anxiety.

Symptoms of arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is less likely to cause noticeable symptoms. However, an efficient healthcare professional may detect an arrhythmia during a routine medical examination or after requesting an electrocardiogram (EKG).

Even if you notice symptoms, it does not necessarily say that you have a severe arrhythmia. Some individuals with life-threatening arrhythmias may experience no symptoms, while others with similar symptoms may have severe arrhythmia. The signs vary depending upon the type of arrhythmia, as follows:

Symptoms of tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) include:

dizziness
breathlessness
fluttering in the chest
fainting or nearly fainting
lightheadedness
chest pain
sudden weakness

Bradycardia may cause the following symptoms:

trouble concentrating
angina, or chest pain
finding exercise more difficult than usual
confusion
tiredness
dizziness
heart palpitations
lightheadedness
profuse sweating
shortness of breathing
fainting or nearly fainting

Symptoms of A-fib (usually occur with rapid onset) may involve:

breathlessness
angina
palpitations
dizziness
weakness
fainting or nearly fainting

What is the situation of arrhythmia?

In the arrhythmia situation, the heart beats too fast or too slow. It may also cause an irregular pattern. Tachycardia is the time when the heart beats faster than usual, while in bradycardia, the heart beats slower than expected.

The age group that faces this situation the most is 60 years and old. It can occur in older adults due to the wear and tear of their hearts. Although, other health and heart conditions can also play a role.

What to do in this situation and how to overcome it?

Here is a list of some actions you can take to overcome this medical situation:

Deep and Mindful Breathing

Deep breathing can help you calm and relax your nerves during arrhythmia.

Close your eyes and sit quietly,
put one hand on your stomach,
breathe in through your nasal, feel your stomach is stretching out
breathe out gradually through your mouth. Repeat the whole process.

Vagal Maneuvers

Here are some simple steps to rapidly slow down a rapid heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute. Your healthcare professional may call it a supraventricular heartbeat tachycardia. Vagal maneuvers function by engaging the automatic reflexes of your body.

Face in Cold Water

If you dunk your face into icy water, it can stimulate your vagus nerve, and your system may respond by lowering your heart rate.

Yoga

People with arrhythmia who do regular yoga are likely to feel better and lower blood pressure and heart rates. Scientists believe that simple body movement and deep, steady breathing can calm your nervous system. And, it may work even during an episode.

Medication in this situation

Your healthcare professional may prescribe medication that can help you manage your arrhythmia symptoms and prevent complications, including a heart attack. Most of the drugs for this medical condition come in pill form, but some are available in intravenous drug form during an emergency.

The medication they recommend depends upon the type of arrhythmia and other conditions you might have. Common arrhythmia treatment drug types include:

Antiarrhythmic drugs can treat premature heartbeats (including amiodarone, propafenone, and more) and tachycardia. However, such medicines may cause the severe and problematic side effect proarrhythmia, worsening the pre-existing arrhythmia and generating a new one.
Beta-blockers: These drugs slow the heart rate that further helps treat tachycardia. Beta-blockers include metoprolol, acebutolol, and other medications.
Calcium channel blockers: This group of medications includes amlodipine and diltiazem. They help lower your heart rate and blood pressure and can be used for an extended period.
Anticoagulants: These drugs help prevent blood clots, the primary cause of atrial fibrillation. Blood thinners include rivaroxaban, warfarin, and more. Is side effects may include excessive or internal bleeding.

Precautions

An individual can take a few measures to reduce the risk of arrhythmia. These actions include avoiding regular alcohol or illegal drugs, staying active, and limiting caffeine intake. To reduce the chances of getting arrhythmia, you may perform at least 150 minutes of moderately intense physical exercise every week.

It is essential to understand the reason behind your arrhythmia to prevent the condition. So, some preventable triggers may include:

smoking
stress or anxiety
alcohol
caffeine
specific medications and some street drugs

Talk to your healthcare professional if you think any drugs worsen your medical condition. Do not stop taking or changing your doses or medication on your own. A healthy lifestyle can benefit you and help you prevent and manage arrhythmia. We suggest you do your best by:

following a healthy diet with reduced fat and salt
exercise regularly
if you smoke, stop smoking
reduce stress
stay within a healthy weight range
limit alcohol assumption
maintain healthy cholesterol levels and healthy blood pressure.

Here is a list of some factors that are likely to increase a person’s risk of arrhythmia:

being 65 years of age or older
underlying heart problems
inherited genetic anomalies
some prescription medications and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs
hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism
hypertension
obesity
obstructive sleep apnea
uncontrolled diabetes
illegal drug use or abuse
too much caffeine
electrolyte imbalances
heavy and regular alcohol consumption

Conclusion

Among the types of heart arrhythmias, most of them are harmless. It is nearly possible for every one of us to experience arrhythmia at one time or another. It usually goes unnoticed.

Some arrhythmias are not that harmless, though. How you take it depends upon the type of severity of your medical condition. Remember, good medical care can treat even the most severe arrhythmia, and most people with this problem can later live everyday life.