Health & Fitness

What are the symptoms and treatments of heart arrhythmia?

Heart arrhythmia, also known as heart rhythm problem is a problem of irregular heartbeat that arises when the signals that synchronize the beats of the heart do not work properly. This faulty or irregular signaling causes the heartbeat too slow (bradycardia) or too fast (tachycardia).

Sometimes heart arrhythmias can be sensed as a racing or fluttering heart and can cause no harm. But in some cases, heart arrhythmia shows signs and symptoms that can be troublesome and even life-threatening. In this blog, we will get over the symptoms and treatments of heart arrhythmias.

Symptoms of heart arrhythmia

There are no particular symptoms that lead to heart arrhythmia. The irregular heartbeat can be noticed by a doctor while diagnosing you for another health-related issue. Normally, the basic symptoms of heart arrhythmia may include,

  • Pain in chest
  • Chest fluttering
  • Lower heartbeat rate
  • Higher heartbeat rate
  • Breath shortness

Some other symptoms can also be noticed such as sweating, anxiety, near fainting or syncope, fatigue, and dizziness. If you are facing any of the above-mentioned symptoms, it is important to schedule a checkup for your betterment. PeakHeart provides world-class treatment and services against arrhythmia. You can schedule an appointment with us on the provided link.

Apart from the symptoms, knowing the causes that lead to a heart arrhythmia is also important. The major causes are listed below.

  • Recent heart attack
  • High blood pressure
  • Sleep apnea
  • Drug abuse, smoking, or too much intake of alcohol
  • Anxiety or stress
  • Diabetes
  • Genetics
  • Hypothyroidism (thyroid gland underactive)

Heart arrhythmia diagnosis

Heart arrhythmia diagnosis includes a physical examination by the doctor. Also, the patient might be asked some questions related to medical symptoms and history. Tests may be done for the confirmation of an irregular heartbeat and conditions are looked upon that can give rise to heart arrhythmias, such as a thyroid or heart disease. These tests might include:

  • Holter Monitor: It is a portable ECG device that can be put on for a period of time to record the activity of your heart when you are on your daily routine.
  • ECG (Electrocardiogram): In the process of ECG, multiple sensors are attached to the chest, legs, or arms to detect the heart’s electrical activity. The duration and timing of each electrical phase is measured by an ECG.
  • Echocardiogram: During a noninvasive arrhythmia diagnosis, a device known as transducer is placed on the chest. This hand-held device uses sound waves for the image production of the heart’s structure, motion, and size.
  • Implantable loop recorder: In case of infrequent symptoms occurrence, an event recorder can be implanted under the skin in the chest area to detect irregular heart rhythms and record the electrical activity of the heart.

Heart arrhythmia treatment

Heart arrhythmia treatment process depends on whether you are suffering from a slow heartbeat or a fast heartbeat. A number of heart arrhythmias do not require any treatments. To monitor your conditions, your doctor may suggest regular checkups. Heart arrhythmia treatment is necessary if the irregular heartbeat is leading to particular symptoms or in case if the condition is leading to more-serious heart problem risks.

Arrhythmia treatment may include therapies or medications. Some of these treatments are mentioned below.

Medications

The medications used for arrhythmia treatment depend on the arrhythmia type and its potential complications. For instance, people suffering from tachycardia are mostly prescribed drugs for controlling the heart rate and restoring normal rhythm. Patients suffering from atrial fibrillation are prescribed blood thinners to prevent clotting of blood.

Therapies

There are majorly two types of therapies recommended for irregular heartbeat: cardioversion and vagal maneuvers.

  • Cardioversion: It is mostly recommended for arrhythmia treatment to reset the heart rhythm alongside medications, especially as a treatment for atrial fibrillation. The process includes a shock delivered to the heart through paddles on the chest. It affects the electrical impulses of the heart and restores a normal rhythm.
  • Vagal maneuvers: Often recommended for tachycardia, vagal maneuvers affect the nervous system causing to slow down the heart rate. For instance, dunking face in ice water or holding breath and straining.

 

Conclusion

To prevent heart arrhythmia, certain changes in lifestyle are important to reduce heart disease risks. Maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle includes no smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, limiting the intake of alcohol and caffeine, and staying physically active.

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