Arrhythmia Symptoms
A heart arrhythmia is a common and natural heart condition, yet heart arrhythmia symptoms are difficult to distinguish without medical help. Over 850,000 individuals are hospitalized each year due to an arrhythmia in the United States alone. An arrhythmia is often referred to as a dysrhythmia within the medical field, and is basically the term used to describe an irregular heart beat or heart rate. However, arrhythmias and irregular heart rates do not tend to run together within the condition. A patient either has an irregular heart beat, or rate but not both.
A sinus arrhythmia is one that commonly goes unnoticed by most individuals suffering from it. A sinus arrhythmia is caused by the breathing process, due to a variation within ones heart rate as it cycles with the breathing process. During the cycle the heart rate will tend to be quicker as the person breathes in, and it slows down as they breathe out. Sinus arrhythmia symptoms are usually silent, but if the individual knows how to take their pulse they will notice the changes. However there are some symptoms that may be indicative of a more serious cardiac arrhythmia, that some may attribute to a sinus arrhythmia and are ignored.
Ventricular fibrillation is a life threatening heart condition that may include symptoms like palpitations, consistent dizziness, rapid breathing, a shortness of breath, lethargy, fainting, and unresponsiveness. These symptoms should not be mistakes as minor arrhythmia symptoms. A condition that may lead to an arrhythmia is mitral valve prolapse (MVP), also known as Barlow’s syndrome or click murmur syndrome. This heart condition is caused by a size irregularity affecting the leaflets that normally prevent blood backflow from entering the left atrium. A heart affected by MVP will have enlarged leaflets which flop backwards during the contraction of the ventricles, allowing for excess blood to overflow into the left atrium. This condition can lead to heart failure and a heart arrhythmia. Mitral valve prolapse symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, anxiety, and migraine headaches.
There aren’t many treatments for MVP and the majority of patients with it have good prognosis. Usually routine echocardiograms are enough to monitor the patient’s good health. Patients with more severe forms of MVP are required to ingest antibiotics suck as amoxicillin before undergoing simple procedures like dental work or colonoscopies. This is just a preventative measure as valve infections are serious complications of MVP.
Ranking number one on the list of causes of death in America is coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is commonly known as simply heart disease and it affects over 13 million Americans. Its wide spread prevalence has sparked worldwide dietary change and awareness. Coronary Artery disease symptoms may include angina, chest discomfort, fast heart beat, weakness, dizziness, unexplained nausea, and shortness of breath during vigorous activities which cause abnormal sweating. Angina pectoris is a set of symptom which can be caused by heart disease. Angina pectoris symptoms can include the feeling of impending doom, pallor, cold sweats, and fainting.
A heart murmur is technically not a disease but it may be indicative of a serious condition. In actuality it is a form of an arrhythmia, and is just an irregular sound the doctor hears through a stethoscope when examining a patient. Heart murmur symptoms usually consists of blue coloring of the skin, excessive sweating, and poor eating in infants which cause abnormal growth and development. Murmurs usually have no treatment. Heart arrhythmias are usually harmless, but in rare cases can be symptoms of a more serious condition. Arrhythmia symptoms are not always present which makes routine checkups imperative.