Are You Suffering From Heart Arrhythmia?

Our heart is crucial to life. Those with heart issues need to seek medical help if they want to live a long, healthy life. If your heart isn’t beating, you’re not alive.

So now is the time to learn more about common types of heart ailments that many live with, without knowing.

What is Heart Arrhythmia

Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned teaching and research medical facility, describes heart arrhythmia as an inconsistent heartbeat. In some cases, it beats too fast, too slow, or inconsistently. Sometimes heart arrhythmias cause no heart damage, but in other cases, it can be a sign of a serious heart issue that may be life-threatening, if proper medical care is not administered.

Here are the different types of heart arrhythmias:

• Tachycardia is a fast heartbeat, which usually is over 100 beats/minute.
• Bradycardia is a slow heartbeat, beating no more than 60 beats/minute.

Tachycardia

There are five key types of tachycardias:

• Atrial fibrillation (AFib): This health abnormality causes a fast, uneven heartbeat, which can start and stop without treatment. In severe cases, it can cause the person to have a stroke.
• Atrial flutter: This can also lead to stroke, but atrial flutter has more regular heartbeats.
• Supraventricular tachycardia: This heart issue describes heartbeats that start in the ventricles and cause heart pounding that can start and stop on its own.
• Ventricular fibrillation: This is a serious medical condition as it is often a sign of heart disease or another serious heart issue. If this issue is not resolved, it can lead to death.
• Ventricular tachycardia: This heart ailment causes an irregular heartbeat due to chaotic electrical signals in the ventricles. The heart cannot fill with blood properly; it may be unable to pump enough blood to supply the body. In people with heart disease, this could cause serious issues and the individual should seek immediate medical care. 

Bradycardia

Here are the two main types of bradycardia, which causes the heart to beat less than 60 beats per minute.

• Sick sinus syndrome: The sinus node directs the pace of the heart. This may be caused by scarring near the sinus note that disrupts the signals to the heart. This issue is most often seen in older adults.
• Conduction block: This issue is caused by blocking the electrical pathways to the heart, which can cause it to speed up or slow down. Some blocks have no symptoms, while others can cause the heart to beat slower or skip beats altogether.

What are the Symptoms?

According to The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a heart arrhythmia may show no symptoms at all, and many people don’t even know they have one until they have a check-up by their physician. Those who do have symptoms report the following:

• The heart is pounding or skipping a beat.
• There is a fluttering or pounding feeling. This is also known as heart palpitations.
• The feeling of anxiety.
• Chest pain, heaviness, or other discomfort.
• Mental confusion.
• Difficulty sleeping or gasping for breath during sleep.
• Feeling dizzy or fainting.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Feeling tired or weak.

When to Seek Physicians’ Care

If you have any of the physical or mental issues indicated above, you should seek the advice of a Cardia Electrophysiologist, such as Dr. Ian Weisberg. Physicians such as Ian Weisberg, who specializes in treating those with heart arrhythmias. This is a highly specialized field and those with arrhythmias should seek out an experienced physician that specializes in treating this ailment.

It is crucial to stay on top of your health, starting with your heart!