The human heart is said to be the most functioning organ of the body. Heart health is essential if you are planning on living your life longer. But recently, many heart-related diseases have become very common. One of these diseases is Heart Arrhythmia. This disorder is currently the most dangerous among all heart disorders.
We need to understand the disease before we start getting treatment. Arrhythmia has to be treated on time, but you should know the necessary information about this disease. We have shared all the important information about this disorder in this article.
Definition of Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is a heart condition in which the patient has an Irregular Heartbeat. This heartbeat is different from the normal one. It can be faster or slower than average. This disease can affect one part of your heart at a time.
Our hearts beat in a symmetrical and organized manner. A little regulation can cause serious heart problems and can also be life-threatening. The heart has to pump blood to the whole body. So if the heart is not functioning correctly, it will result in many hazardous health disorders.
Types of Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia disorder has different types. This disease can affect other parts of your heart and hence will be classified differently as well. Before you start your Arrhythmia Treatment, you must be aware of the type of Arrhythmia.
Finding the correct type of Arrhythmia is essential; otherwise, AFIB Treatment will not be effective. We have classified the types of Arrhythmia into two groups. Each group is discussed in detail below. And their further types are also explained.
Tachycardia (Fast Heartbeat)
Tachycardia is a type of Arrhythmia where the heartbeat is faster than usual. The average heartbeat in the condition of Tachycardia is over 100 beats per minute. This condition has severe effects on the body and can cause heart failure.
Tachycardia is further classified into different types. These types are discussed below:
Sinus Tachycardia
Sinus Tachycardia is a type of Arrhythmia where the heartbeat is faster than 100 beats per minute. This condition is in the sinoatrial node and is usually caused by hard exercise, fever, medication anxiety attack, etc.
This condition is not that dangerous and life-threatening. There are simple methods to treat this condition. Identifying the cause of Sinus tachycardia is important to get the treatment. If medication is causing this condition, you must stop taking it immediately.
Ventricular Tachycardia
Ventricular Tachycardia originates from the lower chamber of the heart. In this type of Tachycardia, the patient feels dizziness and chest pain. This condition has dangerous complications, so you must treat it quickly.
Suppose VT gets severe Ventricular Fibrillation possible. VF is a dangerous and severe arrhythmia that can lead to cardiac arrest. There are medications available to deal with VT and resume the heart back to normal.
Supraventricular Tachycardia
This condition originates from the atria above the ventricles. Supraventricular Tachycardia has very slight symptoms in the patients. In most cases, the patient doesn’t notice the symptoms and the condition keeps getting worse.
This type has some sup categories like Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT) and Junctional Tachycardia. These types have to be considered before getting treatment for Supraventricular. The SVT Treatment depends upon the type of supraventricular the patient might have.
Bradycardia (Slow Heartbeat)
Bradycardia is a Dysrhythmia of the heart where the heartbeat is slower than average. The heartbeat of a bradycardia patient is usually below 60 beats per minute. The symptoms of bradycardia are more noticeable compared to tachycardia.
Bradycardia also has some further types. We have discussed the two most common types of bradycardia below:
Conduction Block
The human body works with some energy flow in it. In this type of bradycardia, there is some blockage in this electrical impulse or energy flow in the heart, which causes a delay in the heartbeat. The reason for this conduction block can be some medication that has affected the heart and blood flow.
In this bradycardia type, there are three classes based on the severity of the condition. The treatment depends on what degree of conduction block the patient is having. Surgery and pacemaker implant is the beneficial treatment for conduction blocks.
Sick Sinus Syndrome
Sick sinus syndrome is a type of bradycardia in which the heart’s sinus node or the natural pacemaker gets affected, leading to a heartbeat delay. There are long delays in between every beat.
This condition is also because of blockage in the electrical pathways in the heart. This type can be life-threatening and can cause severe damage to the heart. Heart attack, seizure, and heart failure are possible due to this type of bradycardia.
Premature Atrial Contraction
This is one of the most common types of Arrhythmia. This also lies in the category of bradycardia condition, and the heartbeats get slow in this type. The patient usually feels that their heart has skipped a beat. And this sensation can be stressful for the patient.
This condition can be the result of anxiety or stress attacks. Junctional Rhythm is also a cause of this premature atrial contraction. This condition can be treated with some medications like Meta blockers.
Symptoms of Arrhythmia
The Arrhythmia Symptoms can be very minute sometimes. Some people may have no symptoms at all. However, we have discussed some common side effects of Arrhythmia patients. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to see a doctor immediately.
- Heart beating rapidly, irregularly, or with a forceful beat. There will be a feeling of skipping sensation in the chest.
- Dizziness or lightheadedness is a possible sign of Arrhythmia. The patient s will feel lightheadedness and faintness.
- Fainting is a major sign of arrhythmia. A patient with Arrhythmia occasionally faints during heavy activity.
- Arrhythmia affects the functioning of the heart. The heart will be beating faster in Arrhythmia.
- Every heart disease also affects the mental condition of the patient. Anxiety is a strong symptom of Arrhythmia. If you have sudden anxiety attacks, you may have Arrhythmia.
- The patient will feel sudden pain in the heart. This is either because the heart is pounding or beating too slowly.
- Arrhythmia patients usually feel weakness. They are unable to do any heavy activity without getting too tired.
- Getting blurred vision is also an Arrhythmia Symptoms. The blood flow decreases because of Arrhythmia; hence the eyes cannot function as they should.
If you experience any of the symptoms of arrhythmia, it is important to see a doctor immediately. Arrhythmias can be serious and lead to complications such as heart failure or stroke.
What causes Arrhythmia in Humans?
A person can start treatment for any disease, but if he is unaware of the cause of his disorder, the treatment will not be helpful. We must know the Arrhythmia Causes. The list of major causes of Arrhythmias is discussed below. This list will help you avoid the factors causing Arrhythmias and other heart conditions in you.
- Coronary artery disease. The blood supply arteries become narrow in this condition. This blocks the proper supply of blood to the heart and out of the heart, which damages heart muscles and causes Arrhythmias.
- High blood pressure. An increase in blood pressure damages the heart a lot. This is also a major cause of the development of Arrhythmias.
- Valve disorders. If the heart beats irregularly for other reasons, like medication or uncontrolled exercise, it will damage the heart’s valve. This can cause Arrhythmias.
- Electrolyte imbalances. This can occur due to a medication you take, dehydration, or diarrhea. Electrolyte imbalances can cause the heart to beat irregularly.
- Injury from a heart attack. A person who had a heart attack in the past has already damaged his heart. This can cause scarring in the heart muscle, which can lead to arrhythmias.
- Certain medications. Some medications have side effects on the body. These side effects can affect a person’s heart, too, which will cause irregular heartbeat.
- Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. All the components in these substances cause heart problems. Smokers are highly affected by Arrhythmias because of regular smoking.
- Physical activity. Heavy load exercise or intense weight training can trigger arrhythmias in some people.
- Emotional stress. The mental condition of a person has a great impact on his physical health as well. Emotions like fear, anger, and anxiety can cause arrhythmias.
- Sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep is one of the Arrhythmia Causes. Insomnia and not getting enough sleep can increase the risk of arrhythmias.
- Certain foods and drinks. Our body works on the base of our diet. An unhealthy diet enriched with caffeine, sugar, and alcohol can trigger arrhythmias in some people.
How is Arrhythmia diagnosed?
Some types of Arrhythmia has a very minute symptom. And most of the time, it becomes challenging to diagnose this disease. And a patient only identifies by Arrhythmia when the condition is worse. In that situation, the treatment becomes more complicated and less effective as well.
Diagnosing Arrhythmia in the early stage is essential. Hence specialist has developed some techniques which help diagnose arrhythmia in its initial stage. These techniques are discussed below.
EKG
One of the most useful Arrhythmia diagnosing tests is EKG or electrocardiogram recorder. This test shows the electrical activity of your heart. For this test doctor puts some patches on your arms, legs, and chest. And the activity of your heart is displayed on a piece of paper.
There is also a portable form of EKG called ambulatory electrocardiogram. This is an excellent tool for identifying Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia and Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia at their initial stages. You must take this test if you ever feel any heart problems.
Stress Test
This is also a potentially helpful and simple test to diagnose Arrhythmia or any other heart-related disorder. In this test, the patient goes through some activity that will stress the heart. The doctor sees how much stress the heart can manage.
Usually, a treadmill is used where the patient runs. The patient is connected to an EKG or ECG, which will provide the required data about the heart activity. This also helps identify the severity of Arrhythmia.
Potential Risk of Arrhythmia
Every health condition can get worse if it is not treated on time. The same goes for the Arrhythmias. If some patient fails to diagnose this condition on time, they might find out about Arrhythmias in worse scenarios.
Some of the potential complications that are the result of untreated Arrhythmias are discussed below.
Heart Failure
If the heart is skipping beats regularly, heart failure is highly possible. The heart will ultimately stop beating, and there will be no blood circulation in the body. Arrhythmia mostly cannot be diagnosed if there are no tests run, which will cause sudden heart failure for the patient.
In this situation, usually, Cardioversion for AFIB is used. This technique provides energy shocks to the patient’s body to restore the heart beating.
Stroke
Heart stroke is a potential risk of Arrhythmia. If the heart is not functioning properly, the blood is not pumped fully. This will cause the development of clots in the arteries. And these arteries will cause stroke for the patient.
These strokes are usually not life-threatening. But you still have to get the treatment. You can idealize these strokes as symptoms of Arrhythmia. There are medications to deal with these strokes in Arrhythmia patients.
Heart Attack
If arrhythmia does not get treated on time, the heart’s health will decrease over and over. And after some time, the patient can have a heart attack. Heart attacks caused by Arrhythmias are more dangerous than by any other reason.
Most patients with a heart attack because of Arrhythmias have a low chance of surviving. But sometimes, cardioversion and some high-dose medication can save the life of patients and get medical attention on time.
Treatments of Arrhythmia
There are hundreds of Heart Arrhythmia Treatments available nowadays. From medication to surgery, a patient has many options to choose from as he likes and as their doctor suggests. We have discussed these treatments below for you.
All details about these treatments are shared below so you are aware of the possibilities of these treatments.
Medication
There are hundreds of medications available to deal with Arrhythmia. We have mentioned some of the most famous medicines used to treat Arrhythmia. But you should never take any drug without your doctor’s permission.
Ask your doctor for medication for your Arrhythmia. And he might suggest one from the list mentioned below:
- Atropine
- Adenocard
- Beta Blockers
- Digoxin
- Sodium and Potassium Channel Blockers.
Artificial Devices
With the advancement of technology medical field also has many benefits. Artificial devices maintain heart health by treating Arrhythmia and many other severe heart conditions.
The pacemaker is a great device to control the heart rate. It generates electrical impulses that help the heart to keep beating regularly.
Surgery
The surgery on the heart is very effective in treating Arrhythmia. There is always an option for bypass surgery, but other surgical options are also available. Ablation for AFIB is suggested to be highly effective.
In this surgery treatment, some minor burns are used to scar the heart’s inner surface. This breaks the electrical signal that will treat back eth irregular heartbeat. This surgery is a complicated one and has to be done by professionals.
In some severe cases, a pacemaker can be placed on the patient’s heart to assist. You can ask your doctor about the right surgical treatment for yourself.
Prevention and Safety Measures
The risk of developing a disease can be lowered by taking some precautions. You can protect yourself from Arrhythmia by following a few safety measures discussed below. They will also help you with your treatment.
- All heart diseases are highly affected by the patient’s diet. So you can control the severity of Arrhythmia by having healthy food.
- Doing a short routine of body exercise can be highly beneficial. You can start by doing 10 minutes of walking every day. This will improve your heart’s health.
- If you want to keep healthy, you must quit smoking. This will protect you from Arrhythmia in the future.
- Obesity is a core reason for many diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes. You must try to maintain a healthy weight.
- Keeping the blood pressure and cholesterol in control will greatly help your Arrhythmia.
- A heart patient should avoid drinking alcohol. Alcohol causes clots in the veins which ultimately cause Arrhythmia.
- Stress and anxiety are a dangerous combination. Your mental health is important, along with your physical health.
- As you know, Arrhythmia has very slight symptoms. So you may have this condition, but you don’t know. It would help if you got regular checkups so your doctor can diagnose Arrhythmia at its initial stage.
Bottom Line
Arrhythmia is a dangerous heart disorder that can be life-threatening. So if you even doubt your heart’s health, you should talk to your doctor. He will run certain tests on you; treatment can start immediately if you have any heart problems.
Even though Arrhythmia is dangerous but there are many Arrhythmia Treatments as well. You can get through this disease with a little effort. We have provided you with all the information on Arrhythmia, and we hope this information will help you.