What is Arrhythmia and How Serious is the Condition?

What is arrhythmia and how serious is the condition?

Do you suffer from an arrhythmia? There are as many as 2 million people in the United States alone that currently have atrial fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia. Even 20% of healthy adults can have premature ventricular heart beats in a 24-hour period.

So what is this condition called arrhythmia? An arrhythmia is basically an abnormal rhythm of the heart that leads to the heart pumping blood less effectively. Most of the time, cardiac arrhythmias are temporary and not serious.

In understanding what is arrhythmia, it is worthwhile noting that arrhythmias can be symptomatic, benign, life threatening and in some cases even fatal. The severity of an arrhythmia is dependent upon whether or not they are also accompanied by another disease. For benign and symptomatic arrhythmias, the person can often use natural methods of dealing with them instead of resorting to expensive procedures and medication.

Types of Arrhythmia

In further understanding what is arrhythmia, we should also discuss the various types of the ailment.

There are basically two types of arrhythmias - ventricular and supraventricular. Ventricular arrhythmias happen in the heart's two lower chambers, referred to as the ventricles. On the other hand, supraventricular arrhythmias are found in the atrium, the heart's two upper chambers.

From there, you can then classify the different types of arrhythmias by how fast the heartbeat is - very slow, very fast, and uncoordinated. Bradycardia is a very slow heart rate in which the heart beats less than 60 beats per minute. Tachycardia is where the heart rate is very fast and beats more then 100 beats per minute. Fibrillation is a fast, uncoordinated heartbeat.

Sustained ventricular tachycardia is one of the most serious kinds of arrhythmia. In this type of arrhythmia, consecutive impulses come from the ventricles at 100 beats or more per minute. They sometimes have to be stopped by electrical convulsions. If it isn't stopped, it could go into a completely uncoordinated electrical activity called ventricular fibrillation. When this happens, blood is not pumped. Unless the heart rate gets back on track quickly, the person can suffer serious damage, including fatality.

Causes and Triggers

Next question - what is arrhythmia caused or triggered by?

Sometimes, a skip or an extra beat is caused by stress or exercise. Most people will experience this sporadically throughout their lives. However, some arrhythmias are life-threatening and require special treatment. Arrhythmias occur when the usual conduction path is interrupted or when a different part of the heart starts working as the pacemaker.

There are quite a few different heart diseases that can lead to arrhythmia. Coronary disease is one of these, because it leads to scar tissue in the heart. Sometimes, people are simply born with arrhythmias. Other things that can cause arrhythmia include alcohol, caffeine, stress, smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The good news is that simple life-style changes can help arrhythmia in these instances.

Signs and Symptoms

What is arrhythmia characterized by?

Some of the most common symptoms of arrhythmia include chest pain, palpitations, tiredness, losing consciousness, and having shortness of breath.

Symptoms of tachycardia arrhythmia are feeling dizzy, having a racing feeling in your chest, shortness of breath, fainting, and a general feeling of discomfort.

Natural Treatment

Finally, what is arrhythmia treated with?

There are actually quite a few natural treatments for arrhythmia, as long as the condition is not serious. These can include cutting out caffeine and limiting your alcohol intake, sticking to a low-fat diet, and practicing relaxation techniques.

Conclusion

Since arrhythmias are most often non-threatening, they generally take care of themselves and do not need special treatment. However, in serious cases you will need to see a physician in order to be monitored.

To learn more about what is arrhythmia and how to deal with the condition, read the other related arrhythmia pages and articles.

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