Arrhythmia – What is Arrhythmia?

by Symptom Advice on August 21, 2010

An arrhythmia is a disorder of the heart rate (pulse) or heart rhythm, such as beating too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia), or irregularly.Has your heart ever skipped a beat? Sometimes it really does if you have an arrhythmia. an arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. it means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly or with an irregular pattern. when the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. when the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia.

Many factors can affect your heart’s rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, blood chemistry imbalances or abnormal hormone levels. some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.

arrhythmia also known as Cardiac dysrhythmia (arrhythmia) is a term for any of a large and heterogeneous group of conditions in which there is abnormal electrical activity in the heart. The heart beat may be too fast or too slow, and may be regular or irregular.

Some arrhythmias are life-threatening medical emergencies that can result in cardiac arrest and sudden death. Others cause symptoms such as an abnormal awareness of heart beat (palpitations), and may be merely annoying. these palpitations have also been known to be caused by atrial/ventricular fibrillation, wire faults, and other technical or mechanical issues in cardiac pacemakers/defibrillators. Still others may not be associated with any symptoms at all, but may predispose the patient to potentially life threatening stroke or embolism.

Some arrhythmias are very minor and can be regarded as normal variants. In fact, most people will on occasion feel their heart skip a beat, or give an occasional extra strong beat; neither of these is usually a cause for alarm.

Proarrhythmia is a new or more frequent occurrence of pre-existing arrhythmias, paradoxically precipitated by antiarrhythmic therapy, which means it is a side effect associated with the administration of some existing antiarrhythmic drugs, as well as drugs for other indications. In other words, it is a tendency of antiarrhythmic drugs to facilitate emergence of new arrhythmias.

The term sinus arrhythmia refers to a normal phenomenon of mild acceleration and slowing of the heart rate that occurs with breathing in and out. it is usually quite pronounced in children, and steadily decreases with age. this can also be present during meditation breathing exercises that involve deep inhaling and breath holding patterns.

Heart rhythm problems occur when the electrical impulses in your heart that coordinate your heartbeats don’t function properly, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly.

Heart arrhythmias are common and usually harmless. Most people have occasional, irregular heartbeats that may feel like a fluttering or racing heart. however, some heart arrhythmias may cause bothersome sometimes even life-threatening signs and symptoms.

Heart arrhythmia treatment can often control or eliminate irregular heartbeats. In addition, because troublesome heart arrhythmias are often made worse or are even caused by a weak or damaged heart, you may be able to reduce your arrhythmia risk by adopting a heart healthy lifestyle.

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