Heart Rhythm Problems
By: Robert NamTotal Views: 46, Word Count: 621,
Heart rhythm problem or heart arrhythmia is a change in the regular beat of the heart. In this situation the heart might seem to skip a beat, beat unevenly or beat extremely slow or fast. If an individual is having an arrhythmia, it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she has a heart disease. Several people who don't have underlying heart disease also suffer from arrhythmias.
Causes
Several times, there's no recognizable cause of an arrhythmia and a heart disease can also cause arrhythmias. Consumption of tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, diet pills and cough and cold medicines are some other causes.
Symptoms
Most individuals have felt that their heart beat is extremely fast, have experienced a tremble in their chest or noticed their heart skipping a beat at some stage. Nearly everyone has also felt dizzy, faint, out of breath or had chest pains at one time or another. Sinus arrhythmia, the change in rate of heart that can occur normally when we breathe, is one of the most common arrhythmias.
Anxiety can be caused by these experiences but for many people they're totally harmless. Don't panic if you experience few shivers or your heart races irregularly but do consult your doctor to check about symptoms or heart rhythm problem.
What happens during an Arrhythmia?
The heart is generally a muscular pump that's divided into 4 chambers, 2 atria located on the top and two ventricles located on the bottom. Each heartbeat generally starts in right atrium wherein a specialized group of cells known as the sinus node or natural pacemaker sends an electrical signal. This signal spreads throughout the atria to the area between the atria known as the atrioventricular node.
This AV node connects to a group of special pathways that carry out the signal to the ventricles below. The heart contracts as the signal travels through the heart. At first, the atria contract pumping blood into the ventricles and then after a fraction of a second, the ventricles contract sending blood right through the body.
In general, the whole heart contracts between 6 to 70 times per minute (more during exercise). Each contraction equals one heartbeat. An arrhythmia might occur for one of the given reasons.
· The heartbeat begins in another part of the heart instead of beginning in the sinus node.
· There is an abnormal rate or rhythm that develops in the sinus node.
· The patient might have a heart block
Are Arrhythmias Serious?
Most arrhythmias are harmless and don't require special treatments. When an arrhythmia is linked with heart disease, it's not arrhythmia but the heart disease that poses the greatest danger to the patient. Arrhythmias themselves are quite dangerous in a small number of people with serious symptoms. These arrhythmias need medical treatment for keeping the heartbeat regular. For instance, a few people have extremely slow heartbeat which causes them to feel faint or lightheaded. The heart might stop beating altogether if left untreated.
Are Arrhythmias common?
Middle aged adults mainly suffer from arrhythmias. More than 2 million Americans are living with Atrial Fibrillation, just one type of arrhythmia and over 850,000 people are admitted to the hospital each year for heart rhythm disorders. As people get older they are more likely to experience an arrhythmia.
Treatment
Heart rhythm problem or heart arrhythmia is a condition that can be treated by some forms of therapy, medication and surgical devices. A pacemaker is generally used as a surgical method and an anti arrhythmic medication is common. Therapy is generally used for those individuals who have a quicker heartbeat than normal.
Heart rhythm problem occur mostly with people in their 50's, thus it's important to maintain a healthy heart lifestyle.
About the Author
Dr. Robert Nam is a well known heart specialist and has done postgraduate training in cardiology at the national heart hospital, the London chest hospital and UCL hospital, London. He was also engaged in research at the national heart and lung institute. Nowadays he is working as a consultant cardiologist at UCL hospital, London.
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