Arrhythmia: Why the heart rhythm is disrupted in young people.

Among all cardiac diseases, 15% are cardiac arrhythmias. The disease is characterized by a pathological condition in which the rhythm and frequency of muscle contraction of the organ is disrupted. Is cardiac arrhythmia dangerous, and what complications can there be? These are questions that interest patients with this diagnosis. The pathological condition does not threaten serious consequences if it is diagnosed on time and the patient undergoes full treatment. The main danger with arrhythmia is the increased risk of developing concomitant cardiac diseases.

Types of arrhythmia types

According to the norms, the heart rate occurs at a frequency of 60 – 80 beats/min. Any deviation from this indicator is considered an arrhythmia. Pathology, depending on the degree and nature of the disorders, is classified by type. Cardiac arrhythmia is diagnosed in men 1.7% more often than in women.

Types of arrhythmia:

Flickering. The most dangerous type of disease in which irregular heart activity is observed in a chronic form.
Paroxysmal. A type of disease with periodic attacks of rapid heartbeat.
Sinus tachycardia. The type of pathology is expressed in increased heart rate.
Extrasystole. The peculiarity of this species is that the work of the heart is greatly slowed down.
Sinus bradycardia. It is considered a complicated form of extrasystole, in which the patient has organic abnormalities in the functioning of the heart.

Treatment of cardiac arrhythmia is prescribed after a thorough diagnosis, carried out to determine the full clinical picture, including the causes, type of disease and the consequences of its progression.

What pathologies are there?

Four types of this pathological phenomenon can be distinguished:

flickering;
sinus;
heart block;
extrasystole.

Each of the listed types is characterized by its own specific signs and factors, and also has a specific degree of severity. Then it will be possible to objectively judge whether cardiac arrhythmia is dangerous and what its consequences are for your health, in order to undergo treatment in time and restore strength, vigor and activity to your body.

Atrial fibrillation is expressed in the form of chaotic and erratic contractions, which disrupts the normal heart rhythm. As a result, a heart attack or even stroke may develop.

Arrhythmia as a heart disease carries a considerable dose of danger and discomfort, and also makes you constantly worry about the state of your body.

Any deviation from the prescribed regimen may cause a deterioration in your health, which increases the risk of death to humans.

With any degree or manifestation of cardiac arrhythmia, you may feel weakness in the body, nausea and vomiting, pain and dizziness, and painful spasms in the chest area.

Despite the severity and seriousness of sinus arrhythmia, it can still be harmless to health if you follow the correct regimen, but you should not lose sight of the fact that such pathology indicates a violation of the natural processes of blood circulation.

If we talk about heart block as one of the types of arrhythmia, then more serious consequences arise in the form of cerebral ischemia.

Extrasystole is a prerequisite for the development of tachycardia, cardiac dysfunction, since the frequency exceeds 200 beats per minute, which means that our main organ experiences a serious load, which provokes the risk of death or simply acute heart disease.

Danger of arrhythmia

Is cardiac arrhythmia dangerous? The disease itself does not pose any risk to the patient’s health. There may be a temporary deterioration in the condition at the time of change in heart rate.

But if the heart function is not controlled, complications may begin to develop.

Note! Arrhythmia can develop not only in adults, but also in children. People over 50 years of age are at greatest risk.

In adults

The danger of the pathology depends on the type of arrhythmia. Experts also divide the disease into benign and malignant forms. The first form of the disease is not dangerous and is easily controlled by taking medications.

In children and adolescents

In childhood, arrhythmia is diagnosed much less frequently. Children before adolescence are at greater risk. The risk of sudden death is also present, but, as a rule, the cause is tachyarrhythmia and disruption of the sinus node rhythm.

For teenagers, the prognosis is more favorable. The pathology is predominantly temporary and is explained by the emotional instability of the puberty period. In order to prevent complications, it is recommended to consult not only a cardiologist, but also a psychologist.

During pregnancy

80% of pregnant women, especially if the woman is over 30 years old, experience heart rhythm disturbances. This is explained by the load that falls on all organs of the body, including the heart. Arrhythmia can cause difficult labor and congenital heart defects in the fetus. With tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, there is a possibility of miscarriage or hypoxia of the newborn. Pregnant women with arrhythmia should be monitored by a cardiologist throughout the entire period and in the first months after childbirth.

Which of the manifestations is the most dangerous?

Unfortunately, it is not so easy to answer this question unequivocally.

Since heart rhythm disturbances are only symptoms of a certain pathology, the most dangerous arrhythmias can be considered those conditions that are provoked by the most complex, life-threatening pathological conditions.

We are talking about those conditions when arrhythmia (such a type, say, ventricular fibrillation) is a complication of emergency conditions - myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, etc.

In practice, doctors may consider the most dangerous conditions to be atrial fibrillation, atrial fibrillation, or complete heart block.

First signs and symptoms

Cardiac arrhythmia progresses at the initial stage completely asymptomatically. Further symptoms depend on what type of pathology develops: bradycardia (decreased heart rate) or tachycardia (increased heart rate).

Note! Signs of arrhythmia occur mainly with the development of complications.

Main symptoms:

weakness of the whole body;
frequent darkening of the eyes;
sudden dizziness;
shortness of breath even in the absence of physical activity.

When the patient has tachycardia, a short-term loss of consciousness may occur. During an attack, chest pain, severe coughing, and blue lips occur. Bradycardia has several distinctive signs: difficulty breathing, impaired coordination and attention, confusion of thinking.

Causes of sinus bradycardia

Among the causes of sinus-type slow heart rate are the following:

myocardial infarction;
sclerotic changes that also affected the sinus node;
cardiac glycosides taken by the patient in large quantities inhibit the contractility of the heart;
sudden cooling of the body affects the number of heart beats per minute;
exhausting diets, starvation;
infectious spectrum diseases.

In young, healthy people who play sports, physiological bradycardia is often observed. It does not require the use of any specific measures and is an indicator of the body’s adaptation to physical activity.

Why are different forms of arrhythmia dangerous?

Each form of pathology involves a characteristic disorder that leads to various deviations in the functionality of the cardiovascular system. Extrasystole is considered the safest, and the most severe form is atrial fibrillation and paroxysmal.

Ciliated

The patient is prescribed lifelong drug therapy. Refusal of treatment can result in death. Atrial fibrillation also causes blood clots to form, which poses a risk of stroke.

Paroxysmal

Paroxysmal arrhythmia is dangerous for the patient to develop tachycardia with the risk of arrhythmic shock, which is characterized by a sharp decrease in pressure. In exceptional cases, swelling of the lung tissue is possible. With concomitant left ventricular failure there is a risk of asthma. Of particular danger is a sudden decrease in arterial and increase in venous pressure. This condition can lead to the death of the patient. The consequence of the lack of timely treatment can be a violation of cerebral circulation and thromboembolism of the vessels of the head, which leads to swelling, heart attack or ischemic stroke of the brain.

Sinus tachycardia

The danger of the disease lies in provoking the development of cardiovascular failure, which can also provoke more severe consequences - a brain tumor. With the sinus type of pathology, vegetative-vascular dystonia and anemia often occur.

Extrasystole

The pathology itself does not pose any danger. However, constant monitoring of the state of the cardiovascular system is required. With concomitant diseases, severe consequences cannot be excluded.

Sinus bradycardia

In most cases, patients suffer from severe migraines and depression. Pain in the heart area occurs rarely. The danger is the risk of developing Morgagni-Adams-Stokes syndrome, characterized by attacks with impaired contraction of the heart muscles at intervals of up to 10 seconds.

Failure of heart rhythm: causes and treatment of pathology, characteristics of the disease

Often, an abnormal heart rhythm does not manifest itself in any way in patients, but is diagnosed accidentally during a routine cardiogram. It happens on the contrary, in the presence of all the above-mentioned symptoms, only a minor malfunction of the heart may be detected that does not require therapy. It all depends on the general condition of the patient.

Main symptoms of pathology

Symptoms characterizing heart rhythm disturbances:

Rapid or slow heartbeat.
Pain, cutting in the chest.
Tremors, sensations of the heart hitting the chest.
Sweating.
Lack of air.
The appearance of strong (weak) shortness of breath.
Dizziness.
Distinct heartbeat, irregular rhythm.
Presyncope, fainting.

The characteristics of heart rhythm disturbances in a child are slightly different in symptoms:

Pallor and blue discoloration appear on the skin.
Unreasonable anxiety.
Decreased appetite.
Weight loss, lack of body weight.
Frequent fainting.
Weakness.
Constant overwork.

The diagnosis of extrasystole is made not only on the basis of patient complaints. The presence of the above symptoms cannot give a 100% guarantee of this particular disease.

Additional examinations are being carried out

Carrying out an ECG.
Blood tests.
Ultrasound examination of the heart.
Echocardioscopy.
Blood pressure monitoring (during the day).
Transesophageal ECG (to determine the source of rhythm disturbance).
MRI of the heart (in extremely difficult situations).

Sources of Heart Rate Imbalance

Failure of the heart rhythm suggests many causes, ranging from ordinary fatigue to complex organic damage to the heart.

Attention! Not necessarily any beating failure is considered a pathology! Let's say a night's sleep is accompanied by a moderate slowdown in heart rate!

Short-term stressful situations, emotional tension or significant coffee consumption also contribute to an increase in heart rate - the result of adrenaline entering the blood.

Minor reasons affecting the rhythm

Fast walk.
Playing sports.
Short-term excessive emotions (fear, delight).
Scary, tragic film.

The heartbeat disturbance is minor and goes away on its own after the cause is eliminated.

Main reasons

Psychogenic disorders – psychoemotional stress, psychosis, neurosis, stress, depression.
Excessive physical activity.
Frequent consumption of coffee and alcohol.
Smoking.
Organic heart disorders - myocardial diseases of various etiologies, inflammation of the heart muscle, heart defects, coronary artery disease.
Toxic myocardial damage - incorrect dosage of antibiotics.
Heart injury.
Anomalies of the endocrine glands - hypothyroidism, pheochromocytoma, thyrotoxicosis.
Shifts in the body's electrolyte balance - indicators of sodium, magnesium and potassium (changes can occur as a result of chills, fever, food poisoning, low hemoglobin, significant bleeding, shock, dehydration and inflammatory processes in the body).
Age-related changes.
Heredity.
Excess weight.
Bad habits.
Hormonal (pregnancy).

Also, existing diseases can lead to abnormal heart rhythm.

Cardiovascular system: congenital and acquired defects, myocardial damage, high blood pressure, LV hypertrophy, heart failure, inflammation of the internal and serous membranes of the heart, rheumatic carditis.
Central and peripheral nervous system: brain injuries and tumors, vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD), neuroses, circulatory abnormalities in the brain (encephalopathy, stroke).
Endocrine system: menopause and menstruation in women, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism.
Gastrointestinal tract: diseases of the gallbladder and pancreas.

Attention! Rhythm failure is possible due to elementary fatigue and does not require therapy. But, if symptoms recur systematically, you should immediately contact a cardiologist!

First aid during an attack

Urgent actions in the event of a failure depend directly on the form of the disorder and the cause of its occurrence. Severe cases require urgent hospitalization, and sometimes just one tablet is enough.

If your heart rhythm is abnormal, you should definitely call an ambulance, regardless of the patient’s general well-being.

If there is any suspicion of an abnormal heart rhythm, the following manipulations should be performed before emergency assistance arrives:

Calm down completely: if necessary, take a sedative - valerian, corvalol.
Take a horizontal position, lie down (lay the patient down): increased pulse - put a pillow under your head, reduced rate - under your knees.
Increase air flow: open a window, balcony, loosen clothes around the neck.
Measure the pressure.
Take a drug that relieves attacks of heart rhythm disturbances (if the patient has already been previously prescribed medications by a doctor).
For accompanying pain in the heart, take nitroglycerin (under the tongue).
Choking, sputum with foam requires the use of furosemide, Lasix (if possible).
Cardiac or respiratory arrest - immediate implementation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (indirect cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth breathing).

The arrival of the ambulance will most likely require emergency hospitalization for a full examination.

The main indicator is the ECG result - the most accurate determination of the deviation and its type.

Forms of heart rhythm disturbances

A healthy body generates a correct cardiac sinus rhythm, that is, every impulse arises in the sinus node and moves further with a clear periodicity. And any violation causes either an increase or decrease in these impulses.

Heart rhythm disturbances are divided into three subdividing forms: blockades, disturbances in the appearance of impulses and combined types.

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Diagnostics

Complications of arrhythmic failures in the heart can be prevented by eliminating the factors that provoked the pathology. In order to determine the cause and tactics of the upcoming treatment, an examination is carried out.

Diagnostics include:

Ultrasound of the thyroid gland;
electrocardiography;
ECG (daily monitoring);
echocardiography.

Interesting fact! If it is not possible to establish an accurate diagnosis, methods of artificially provoking an attack of arrhythmia under the influence of physical activity are used. During the monitoring period, the patient's blood pressure, pulse and heart rate are measured.

Treatment of cardiac arrhythmia with tablets

Therapeutic treatment for arrhythmia is possible only if there is no risk to the patient’s life. Cardiologists treat patients with this diagnosis. If there are concomitant pathologies that affect the functioning of the heart, consultation with other specialists is necessary.

In severe cases, drug therapy may not be effective. Then the patient is recommended to undergo surgery.

Treatment of atrial fibrillation

Treatment of the pathology consists of blocking attacks, normalizing heart rhythm and eliminating the consequences.

To reduce the heart rate, medications are used:

beta blockers (Metoprolol, or Esmolol);
calcium blockers (Diltiazem or Verapamil).

Only the attending physician can prescribe medications. Drugs that affect the heart can be dangerous if self-medicated. The dosage and course of therapy are determined individually.

Physiotherapy

Therapy for cardiac arrhythmia is carried out comprehensively. An additional treatment option is physical therapy. The maximum effect is observed during courses of electropulse therapy. Patient reviews confirm significant improvements after treatment.

The therapeutic result is also achieved with the help of ultraviolet irradiation, electrophoresis and electrosleep. Many patients notice an improvement in their condition after mud, hydrogen sulfide and sodium chloride baths.

The procedures have contraindications. Before conducting physical therapy, you should discuss the techniques used with your doctor, or follow only his instructions.

Diet

In case of heart problems, nutrition plays an important role. Poor blood circulation and heart contractions provoke a lack of microelements in the heart and other organs. Vitamin complexes are prescribed for recovery, but natural minerals and vitamins contained in products also bring no less benefit.

For arrhythmia, it is recommended to add to the diet:

fish;
greenery;
Cod liver;
dairy products;
nuts;
beef liver.

Since poor blood circulation also affects blood vessels, the risk of increased cholesterol in the blood increases. In order to prevent exceeding the norm of this indicator, you should avoid fatty, smoked, fried, sweet and baked goods. It is recommended to cook without adding oil by steaming or baking.

Means for prevention

Taking medications to prevent arrhythmia is recommended for people over 40-45 years of age who have a predisposition to heart pathologies or diagnosed heart disease.

Preparations for prevention:

Amiodarone;
Quinidine;
Ibutilide Sotalol;
Panangin;
Digoxin;
Metoprolol.

Important! Medicines have different effects on the heart. It should be remembered that medications can speed up or slow down heart rate, therefore, before using medications, diagnostics are necessary to determine the nature of cardiac disorders.

Causes of heart rhythm disturbances

The reasons for frequent heart rhythm disturbances should be known to the person. Congenital pathologies are not always the cause, so throughout their lives people encounter third-party factors that can harm their health. In such cases, prevention remains indispensable, helping to maintain normal blood circulation.

Congenital pathology;
Stress;
Alcoholism;
Overdose of tablets;
Blood imbalance.

Interruptions in a stable heart rhythm quickly develop into various diseases. Constant incorrect work leads to the gradual destruction of the body, causing irreparable harm to the systems. People should find solutions to all problems by finding optimal methods of protection.

Congenital pathology

Often, heart rhythm disturbances are a consequence of congenital pathology. Such diseases can be encountered at any age. Thus, they are detected even in infants, who are immediately prescribed a full examination and course of treatment.

Age has been shown to have a minimal effect on heart disease. Heredity turns out to be dangerous, although modern medicine makes it possible to cope with such “mistakes of nature.” Typically, in such cases, medications are used, but when the subsequent development of the pathology can become life-threatening, complex surgical operations are performed.

Stress

Daily psychological stress causes the heart to work incorrectly. At some point, a breakdown will occur, which will result in a serious illness. It is impossible to completely distance yourself from the surrounding reality without noticing stress, so it should be dealt with in the first stages of its occurrence.

Regular stress is a prerequisite for arrhythmias. Any syndrome can develop over time, so it is better to start taking a sedative right away. This is the wrong solution, but you can’t do without it if you don’t want to face heart disease in a few years.

Alcoholism

The causes of heart rhythm disturbances are also associated with a person’s unhealthy lifestyle. One of them is alcoholism. Previously, it was believed that such consequences were only possible when drinking low-quality alcoholic beverages, but this was a mistake. Regular exposure to weak poisons leads to weakening of the heart muscle, and at the same time to improper blood circulation.

In such cases, the disturbance in heart rhythm remains practically unnoticeable at first. Some time will pass, and the person will begin to constantly suffer from pain. The only salvation will be an urgent cessation of alcohol and a visit to a specialist. He will tell you how to completely remove harmful substances from the body and restore normal functioning.

Overdose of pills

A possible overdose of pills is another reason to seriously think about regular consultations with doctors. Self-medication will not give useful results, because the heart rhythm can be disturbed even with frequent use of the same drugs. And this even applies to the fight against common flu.

If any disease appears, you should contact the clinic. Only specialists correctly select the course of treatment, telling their patients how to get rid of this or that problem forever. Drug manufacturers carry out tests, but they still affect the body individually.

Blood imbalance

Any syndrome can occur due to an imbalance in the blood. In some cases, the syndrome becomes unexpected, because people monitor their health. The reasons are revealed after tests in the hospital, when it becomes clear that the lifestyle and diet remain incorrect.

Lack of potassium and magnesium is a common cause of improper functioning of the heart muscle. You have to face similar troubles at every step when the heart rhythm is disturbed. So, during pregnancy, under heavy loads, vitamins enriched with these microelements must be prescribed.