Symptoms and causes of arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is a violation of frequency, rhythm, as well as disruptions in the sequence of contractions of the most important organ of the human body - the heart muscle.  Normally, the human heart should contract at regular intervals, and the frequency of these contractions should fluctuate from 60 to 80 times per minute. If the body needs it, the heart can contract faster or slower (rest or active physical work). With pathology (arrhythmia), the heart rhythm differs sharply from normal.

Causes of arrhythmia

The smooth functioning of the heart can be disrupted by failures in the conduction of electrical signals or any disturbances in the formation of these signals.

The causes of such pathological phenomena may be:

• heart attack;
• ischemia;
• cardiomyopathy;
• atherosclerotic changes in the vessels of the heart;
• myocarditis;
• dystrophic changes in the myocardium;
• heart defects;
• pulmonary heart;
• congenital anomalies.

Provoking factors are:

• pathologies in the functioning of the endocrine system;
• diseases of internal organs;
• diseases of the nervous system;
• cerebrovascular accidents;
• hormonal disruptions;
• stress and psycho-emotional trauma;
• intoxication processes;
• drug intolerance or overdose;
• violation of metabolic processes;
• blood diseases.

In some cases, arrhythmia can be triggered by alcohol, electric shock, anesthesia, drug use, or surgery.

People at risk:

• alcohol abusers;
• smokers;
• those engaged in heavy physical labor;
• abusing caffeine-containing drinks;
• uncontrollably taking medications;
• having a hereditary predisposition.

Types of arrhythmia

Pathology is divided into the following categories:

1. Arrhythmias that provoke malfunctions when an electrical impulse occurs - sinus-type tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, sinus-type bradycardia.
2. Arrhythmias that arise as a result of disturbances in the functioning of the atria - paroxysmal tachycardia, extrasystole.
3. Arrhythmias that are caused by a failure of electrical impulse conduction - atrioventricular and intraatrial block.
4. Mixed type arrhythmias - ventricular fibrillation, atrial fibrillation.

With sinus tachycardia, heart contractions accelerate and can reach 100 beats per minute. The causes of this pathology may be emotional experiences, overstrain of both mental and physical nature, consumption of caffeine, alcohol-containing drinks, and medications that cause spasms of blood vessels.

Sinus bradycardia is a condition in which the heart rate slows to 40 beats per minute. This phenomenon can be observed in athletes who have a fairly well developed vascular and heart system. The causes of sinus bradycardia can be diseases of infectious etiology, decreased thyroid function, and increased intracranial pressure.

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most dangerous types of arrhythmia, in which the heart contracts chaotically, the pulse in this case can go off scale beyond 300 beats per minute. An arrhythmic attack of atrial fibrillation is life-threatening, so the victim needs urgent medical attention.

Extrasystole is an untimely (early) contraction of the heart muscle. Perhaps this type of arrhythmia occurs most often. The reasons that provoke this pathology lie in an unhealthy lifestyle - smoking, drinking alcohol, caffeine. The pulse can reach 250 beats per minute.

Paroxysmal tachycardia is a dangerous disease in which the heart suddenly begins to beat faster. The causes of this arrhythmia are chronic illnesses and pathological conditions of the heart.

Heart block develops when the conduction of cardiac impulses is poor. The causes of this pathology are dystrophic disorders in the walls of the myocardium or inflammatory processes in the body.

Ventricular fibrillation is a very dangerous arrhythmia in which the heart rate can exceed 400 beats per minute. In this case, only resuscitation measures can save the patient.

Symptoms of arrhythmia

Clinical manifestations of the disease can be different and depend on the frequency with which the heart contracts, as well as on the effect of contraction on myocardial function, renal, cerebral and intracardiac hemodynamics. There are forms of the disease that do not manifest themselves in any way and are detected during random diagnostic procedures.

The main signs of arrhythmia are:

• increased or decreased heart rate;
• interruptions in heart function;
• inhibition of cardiac activity;
• attacks of suffocation;
• angina pectoris;
• loss of consciousness;
• cardiogenic shock.

If a patient experiences attacks of dizziness, palpitations and loss of consciousness, this is most often associated with tachycardia or sinus-type bradycardia. With arrhythmia developing according to the sinus type, the patient notes periodic “stops” of the heart and discomfort in the cardiac zone.

Patients with extrasystole complain of freezing (“stopping”) of the heart, the organ works intermittently and with jerks. With paroxysmal tachycardia, the heart contracts up to 200 times per minute, and with the atrial fibrillation type, the patient feels rapid and irregular heartbeat.

Treatment of arrhythmia

Before treating a disease, doctors advise conducting courses of therapy that are aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease. Most often, after eliminating the cause of the arrhythmia, the disease recedes, but in some cases therapy with antiarrhythmic drugs is necessary. There are medications that speed up the heartbeat, they are prescribed for bradycardia, and there are medications that inhibit their frequency, they are prescribed for tachycardia and atrial fibrillation.

For the treatment of pathologies, the following are most often prescribed:

• Diltiazem, Verapamil;
• Atenolol, Metoprolol, Bisoprolol;
• Sotohexal, Cordarone;
• Lidocaine, Novocainomide.

In addition, glycosides are used in therapy, and for emergency assistance the following can be used:

• Dopamine, Adrenaline, Atropine;
• ATP;
• Cordarone, Lidocaine.

During an attack of sinus-type arrhythmia or paroxysmal arrhythmia, the patient’s condition can be stabilized using reflex action. But before carrying out such measures, you need to be sure that the patient has exactly these types of arrhythmia, that is, they must be identified by a competent specialist:

• pressing on the eyeballs;
• active neck massage;
• pressure on the abdominal press and fixation of pressure for several minutes;
• deep breathing;
• provocation of vomiting.

By such actions it is possible to switch the central nervous system from the heart to other organs.

It is important to remember that such actions should in no case be applied to people over 60 years of age, as well as with heart attacks, angina pectoris or cerebral atherosclerosis.

As for folk remedies, the most popular of them are tinctures:

• lumbago;
• cornflower;
• valerian;
• calendula;
• asparagus

Treatment of arrhythmia will not be successful until the patient changes his lifestyle; it is necessary:

• stabilize weight and get rid of obesity;
• exclude excessive mental and physical stress, however, walking and exercise should not be canceled;
• learn to avoid or deal with stress, if necessary, you can take sedatives;
• get rid of bad habits.

Prevention of arrhythmia

Prevention of heart disease consists of proper and balanced nutrition, a moderately active lifestyle, giving up bad habits, timely treatment of all existing diseases, and regular examinations by a cardiologist. To prevent arrhythmia, you can do yoga, auto-training, take products based on natural herbs - mint, motherwort, hawthorn, calendula, yarrow. It is important to consult a doctor before taking any traditional medicine. Arrhythmia is a fairly serious pathology that requires careful examination and treatment.