A premature, or extra, beat is a common, usually harmless type of arrhythmia that typically does not cause symptoms. Most healthy people who experience an occasional extra beat do not need treatment. However, if you have heart disease, a premature heartbeat can lead to a longer-lasting arrhythmia.
A less serious type of ventricular arrhythmia is a premature ventricular contraction (PVC). As the name suggests, the condition happens when the ventricles contract too soon, out of sequence with the normal heartbeat.
Although usually harmless, sometimes an arrhythmia increases your risk of a more serious heart condition. "While most arrhythmias are harmless, some may be a sign of a more serious heart condition or require treatment," says Dr. Rajesh Venkataraman, cardiac electrophysiologist at Houston Methodist.
Benign cardiac arrhythmias are those which cause neither symptoms nor haemodynamic upset and which have no prognostic significance. Such arrhythmias include sinus arrhythmia, isolated atrial ectopic beats and infrequent ventricular ectopic beats.
Heart arrhythmias may feel like a fluttering or racing heart and may be harmless. However, some heart arrhythmias may cause bothersome — sometimes even life-threatening — signs and symptoms. However, sometimes it's normal for a person to have a fast or slow heart rate.
This arrhythmia is a fast arrhythmia from the lower chambers of the heart. It can be very brief and resolve on its own, but if it persists, it is serious, and can cause cardiac arrest.
The main types of arrhythmia are: atrial fibrillation (AF) – this is the most common type, where the heart beats irregularly and faster than normal. supraventricular tachycardia – episodes of abnormally fast heart rate at rest.
Both atrial fibrillation and anxiety can lead to irregular heart rhythms, known as arrhythmia. Anxiety may contribute to some heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation.
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slowly. A palpitation is a short-lived feeling of your heart racing, fluttering, thumping or pounding in your chest. An occasional palpitation that does not affect your general health is not usually something to worry about.
It means your heart is out of its usual rhythm. It may feel like your heart skipped a beat, added a beat, or is "fluttering." It might feel like it's beating too fast (which doctors call tachycardia) or too slow (called bradycardia). Or you might not notice anything.
The good news is that although AF is a long-term condition, if managed correctly, you can continue to lead a long and active life. There are a number of steps you can take that will help you manage your condition, lower your risk of stroke and relieve any worries you may have.
Without treatment, atrial fibrillation (A-fib) can lower a person's life expectancy due to the risk of serious complications. However, with proper treatment, people with A-fib can often lead long, healthy lives. Heart rhythm involves a synchronized pumping action, or beating, of the four chambers of the heart.
Atrial fibrillation, often called AFib or AF, is the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way.
Brugada (brew-GAH-dah) syndrome is a rare but potentially life-threatening heart rhythm condition (arrhythmia) that is sometimes inherited. People with Brugada syndrome have an increased risk of irregular heart rhythms beginning in the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles).
Millions of people experience irregular or abnormal heartbeats, called arrhythmias, at some point in their lives. Most of the time, they are harmless and happen in healthy people free of heart disease. However, some abnormal heart rhythms can be serious or even deadly.
Stress and anger not only impact ventricular arrhythmias but also atrial arrhythmias.
During emotional stress there is lateralization of cerebral activity. This leads to asymmetrical stimulation of the heart, producing areas of inhomogeneous repolarization, creating electrical instability. This in turn facilitates the development of cardiac arrhythmias.
The pattern or rhythm of a heart beat can also tell you what's going on: a panic attack typically brings a constant rapid heart rate, while AFib causes an erratic heart rate. If your heart seems to be skipping beats, or speeding up then slowing down and speeding up again, it's more likely that AFib is to blame.
This video will provide important information on the following lethal arrhythmias: Ventricular Tachycardia, Ventricular Fibrillation, Asystole, and Pulseless Electrical Activity.
Exercise regularly
Exercise can improve overall cardiovascular health and help restore the heart's natural rhythm. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety. Cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen the heart, which can prevent or reduce palpitations.
DON'T ignore your arrhythmia — even if it's benign
Your physician might tell you that your arrhythmia is harmless and doesn't need to be treated. But that doesn't mean that you won't ever have symptoms. “Just having symptoms is reason alone to treat an arrhythmia,” says Erica.
An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is the most common test for diagnosing arrhythmias. An EKG records your heart's electrical activity. Your doctor may do an EKG during a stress test, which records your heart's activity when it is working hard and beating fast.