01/27/2025
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat. This signifies that your heart is not in its normal rhythm. Arrhythmias affect approximately 1.5% to 5% of the population. It could feel like your heart missed a beat, added one, or is "fluttering." It may feel like it's beating too quickly (tachycardia) or too slowly (bradycardia). Some patients may not notice anything.
Arrhythmias might cause an emergency or be completely harmless. If you notice anything strange about your heartbeat, seek medical attention immediately so that doctors can determine why and what you should do about it.
Arrhythmias, especially those caused by a weak or diseased heart, can produce severe and even fatal symptoms and complications.
Continue reading to learn more about arrhythmias, including their various types, causes, and symptoms. The following article also goes over treatment options, how doctors diagnose arrhythmias, potential risks, and more.
What is Arrythmia or Irregular Heartbeat?
An unstable or irregular heartbeat is called an arrhythmia. When the electrical signals that instruct the heart to beat start malfunctioning, a cardiac arrhythmia results. These can be either extremely fast or excessively slow heartbeats. Or the pattern of the heartbeat can be neither slow nor fast by inconsistent.
Sometimes having a rapid or sluggish heartbeat is okay. For instance, the heart may beat more slowly when you sleep or more quickly when you exercise.
An arrhythmia of the heart may appear to be rapid, pounding, or fluttering. Certain cardiac arrhythmias are not harmful. Others could result in symptoms that are fatal.
Treatment options for heart arrhythmias may involve medication, equipment like pacemakers, or surgery. Controlling or eliminating rapid, sluggish, or otherwise irregular heartbeats is the primary goal of treatment. Heart damage that might cause some heart arrhythmias can be prevented with a heart-healthy lifestyle.
What are the Types of Arrythmia or Irregular Heartbeat?
Arrythmias can be of following types:
- Supraventricular arrhythmias: These start in the upper chambers of your heart, called the atria. "Supraventricular" refers to your heart's regions above your ventricles or bottom chambers.
- Ventricular arrhythmias: These start in the bottom chambers or ventricles of your heart.
- Bradyarrhythmias and junctional rhythms: These can be brought on by problems with the conduction system of your heart, including the His-Purkinje network, atrioventricular (AV) node, or sinoatrial (SA) node.
What are the Causes of Arrhythmia or Irregular Heartbeat?
The majority of arrhythmias are caused by problems with the muscles, valves, or arteries in your heart. Following are the common conditions that may cause arrhythmia:
- Coronary artery disease
- High blood pressure
- Irritable tissue in your heart (due to genetic or acquired causes)
- Changes in your heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
- Electrolyte imbalances in your blood
- Valve disorders
- Injury from a heart attack
- Post-surgical recovery after a heart surgery
What are the Symptoms of Arrhythmia or Irregular Heartbeat?
Approximately 1.5% to 5% of individuals suffer from arrhythmias. It is challenging to determine the true number of individuals having arrhythmia because some patients do not exhibit any symptoms. Following are the symptoms that may indicate arrhythmia:
- Heart palpitations
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Fainting episodes
- Chest discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Fatigue
How to Manage Heart Arrhythmias at Home?
If you have a cardiac arrhythmia, knowing how to monitor your pulse could be helpful. Your heart rate, or how many times your heart beats in a minute, is represented by your pulse. Individuals have different pulse rates. When you are at rest, your pulse is slower; when you exercise, it is faster. At rest, the average heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. Your smartwatch or fitness tracker may measure your heart rate.
Also, you should ensure that your loved ones are aware of the signs of your arrhythmia. If they learn how to perform CPR, it can help you feel more safe. You should minimize your intake of coffee and alcohol if you have an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias can be caused by either of these.
What are the Treatment Options for Arrhythmia or Irregular Heartbeat?
The type and level of severity of your arrhythmia will determine how it is treated. Sometimes there's no need for treatment. Treatment options for heart arrhythmias include:
- Medications: Arrhythmias can be treated with a number of medications. Since each person is unique, you might need to experiment with different drugs and dosages before determining which one suits you the best. Commonly used arrhythmia medications are antiarrhythmic drugs and anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy drugs.
- Lifestyle changes: Simple lifestyle changes for managing arrhythmias include avoiding tobacco products, cutting back on alcohol intake, limiting the intake of caffeine and stimulants, and maintaining a healthy weight with the right diet and regular exercise.
- Therapies: Some people require therapy in addition to medication to cure or eradicate abnormal heart rhythms. Your doctor will decide on the best course of action for you and go over the advantages and disadvantages of various treatments with you. These therapies can be cardioversion, catheter ablation, and pulmonary vein isolation.
- Devices: While doing a procedure in the electrophysiology lab, a cardiologist can put specific devices to treat cardiac arrhythmias. Such devices are permanent pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), and biventricular (B-V) pacemakers and defibrillators (also called cardiac resynchronization therapy or CRT).
- Surgery: For any of the following reasons, people with arrhythmias may need cardiac surgery:
- To address heart conditions that might be the source of the arrhythmia, such as coronary artery bypass surgery or valve replacement.
- Atrial fibrillation that is unresponsive to medication or nonsurgical treatment approaches can be corrected with a maze technique.
- In certain situations, a doctor may use minimally invasive or surgical methods to implant biventricular pacemaker leads—tiny wires—on your heart.
Conclusion
There are numerous causes for irregular heartbeats. Known as arrhythmias, some of these abnormal heartbeats are asymptomatic. If symptoms like excessive exhaustion or palpitations occur, it's critical to consult your healthcare professional. You can help yourself by changing your lifestyle in the right ways, but your doctor will also help you choose the best course of action.
Learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for irregular heartbeat (heart arrhythmia). Get expert care and guidance from our cardiologists at Eternal Hospital. Schedule your consultation today!
FAQs
Q1: Can stress cause an irregular heartbeat?
A: Yes, stress and anxiety can trigger arrhythmias in some people. Stress management techniques can help.
Q2: Are there home remedies for managing an irregular heartbeat?
A: Eating a heart-healthy diet, reducing caffeine and alcohol, avoiding smoking, and managing stress can help. However, consult a doctor for a proper treatment plan.
Q3: Can irregular heartbeats be prevented?
A: Yes, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, managing chronic conditions, and regular check-ups can reduce the risk of arrhythmias.