Interruptions in the work of the heart occur not only in sick people. Scientists have proven that during the day it beats with different intensity, so you should not worry about this when determining one-time symptoms in yourself. Another thing is if these symptoms become frequent during the day and for a long period of time. Many heart diseases are transmitted and are considered family diseases. When an organ malfunctions, it is important to know if your loved ones suffer from the same problems. Below in the article are the symptoms, causes and types of abnormal heart rhythms.
What is heart failure?
An irregular heartbeat, called an arrhythmia, means that the heart is working too fast or too slowly, with an irregular rhythm.
The arrhythmia is based on a change in the conditions for the formation of excitation of the heart muscle, as well as a violation of the pathways for its distribution. The causes of arrhythmias can be both functional disorders and severe organic lesions of the heart, in some cases, such as congenital structural features of the conduction system of the heart. The state of the nervous system plays a role in the occurrence of arrhythmia, namely, mental, emotional stress, causes changes in the pace, and often in the rhythm of heart contractions, including healthy people. Arrhythmia often occurs in people with diseases of the central and autonomic nervous system.
Under the influence of one or more causes, the functions of the heart are disturbed:
- automatism (automatic generation of impulses by cardiomyocytes pacemaker)
- excitability (the ability of cardiomyocytes to generate action potential in response to annoyance)
- conductivity (impulse conduction along the conduction system of the heart)
- contractility (reduction of contractile cardiomyocytes)
- refractoriness (electrical inertia of the CMC for some time after the impulse was carried out, which does not allow the return of the conducted impulse and the imposition of the next one)
- aberration (the ability to conduct an impulse along additional paths of the conduction system of the heart)
The disorder may affect one or more functions of the heart at the same time.
It has a pulse system that tells it when to pump blood to the organs. If there are problems with this mechanism, then there may be interruptions in the heart rhythm. Rhythm disturbances hearts often referred to as cardiac arrhythmias (this is technically incorrect as in most cases there is a heart rhythm but it is not normal). Cardiac dysrhythmia may be a better term, although it is used much less frequently.
The impulse system of the heart has the following process. The sinus node, sometimes called the SA node, is a special group of cells. Known as a natural pacemaker, it sends an electrical signal to the chambers of the heart that tells them when to shrink and push the blood. If the organ is working properly, the electrical signal will travel from the sinus node to the upper chambers of the heart (atria) and then to the lower chambers (ventricles).
The normal electrical pattern is known as sinus rhythm (generally creates heartbeats between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) when you are at rest – at rest).
Interruptions can condition electrolyte anomaliess in the bloodstream, abnormal levels of hormones (eg, hormones thyroid gland, associated with too high or too low its function), as well as receiving some medicines. Any deviation in the electrical cycle in the heart that generates an abnormal rhythm—too fast, too slow, skipped, or irregular—is considered a dysrhythmia.
Symptoms of heart failure
The symptoms of an erratic heart rhythm depend on what type of arrhythmia you have. The most common of these are:
- palpitations (fluttering or fluttering sensation in the chest);
- dizziness;
- dyspnea;
- feeling tired;
- fainting.
There are many factors that can cause a heart rate to fluctuate. The main causes of abnormal heart rhythms are:
- electrical impulses that come from a different part of the heart than the sinus node (the place in the heart where natural electrical impulses are normally generated)
- electrical impulses come from the sinus node, but go to the lower parts of the heart;
- an abnormality in blood chemistry levels.
Some abnormal heart rhythms are inherited. If this is the case for the condition, the doctor may talk to you about testing other family members (this will help them know if they need treatment now or in the future).
Irregular heart rhythms can arise from problems within the heart itself or be the result of anomalies in the body’s environment that directly affect the heart’s ability to conduct impulses. The heart muscles become irritated when they are not filled with oxygen. This can happen during a heart attack, in which the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply the heart with blood, are blocked. Oxygen deficiency can occur when the lungs are unable to naturally extract oxygen from the air. Significant anemia or low red blood cells reduce blood oxygenation and may prevent adequate oxygen delivery. Heart rate is associated with “wiring” problems with impulse pathways in the heart. This causes a “short circuit” in which the heart speeds up and beats 150 or more beats per minute. The anomaly is triggered by a physical factor, such as that seen in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or appears with changes in electrical physiology between multiple cells (in atrial flutter).
Having a different rhythm throughout the day is absolutely normal for the human heart. It will be slower when you are resting, but may become faster when you are physically active or excited about something. Many experience heart palpitations at some point in their lives and describe it as feeling like everything inside is pounding or fluttering. For most people, a heart rhythm failure is unpleasant, but it is harmless and does not always mean obvious problems with the body. You may feel like your heart skipped a beat or had an extra beat – this is called an ectopic beat (very common, harmless, no treatment required).
Talk to your doctor about abnormal heart rhythms if:
- intermittent heartbeat lasts a long time, does not improve or worsen;
- along with the palpitations, you begin to feel weak or dizzy;
- you have a history of heart problems;
- you are worried about your heart palpitations.
The specialist will discuss the symptoms with you and decide if an ECG is needed to assess the heart rate and rhythm in this case.
However, the initial symptom of dysrhythmia is often palpitations, a feeling that the heart is beating too fast or too slow, irregular, or skipping a beat. The flutter may be intermittent and will require medical intervention to resolve. The abnormal heart rhythm causes other symptoms of reduced cardiac output (the amount of blood the heart pumps out to meet the body’s need for oxygen and energy). The patient may complain of dizziness, weakness, nausea and vomiting, chest pain and shortness of breath.
In critical situations, the patient is able to fall to the ground or lose consciousness. This may be due to a life-threatening pathology (ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia), due to fast heartbeats (there is a lack of blood pressure to provide the brain with oxygen). The same result can occur if the heart beats too slowly and insufficient blood pressure is created.
Fast heart rates are due to environmental issues that affect the heart. They can be integral to the body, such as anemia, abnormal electrolyte or thyroid hormone levels, triggered by reactions to external stimuli (caffeine, alcohol, over-the-counter cold remedies, or stimulants such as amphetamines). For a heart muscle cell, all drugs look like adrenaline substances, which cause cell irritation.
Your doctor may recommend an ECG, echocardiogram, or electrophysiological study to help diagnose an abnormal heart rhythm. Depending on its type, the specialist will prescribe the use of medication to stop, prevent or control. If necessary, they may suggest a procedure such as cardioversion or catheter ablation, or surgery to insert an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or pacemaker.
Types of heart rhythm interruptions
Depending on the impaired function of the heart, it is currently customary to distinguish the following groups of arrhythmias:
- Disorders of automatism
- Normotopic (pacemaker – in the sinus node)
- sinus tachycardia
- sinus bradycardia
- sinus arrhythmia
- sinus node weakness syndrome
- Heterotopic (pacemaker – outside the sinus node)
- lower atrial rhythm
- atrioventricular rhythm
- idioventricular rhythm
- Normotopic (pacemaker – in the sinus node)
- Excitability disorders
- Extrasystoles
- by source: atrial, atrioventricular, ventricular
- about the number of sources: monotopic, polytopic
- by time of occurrence: early, interpolated, late
- by frequency: single (up to 5 per minute), multiple (more than 5 per minute), paired, group
- by order: disordered, allorhythms (bigeminy, trigeminy, quadrigeminy)
- Paroxysmal tachycardia (atrial, AV, ventricular)
- Extrasystoles
- Conduction disorders
- increased conductivity (WPW syndrome)
- decrease in conduction (blockade: sinoauricular, intraatrial, AV, blockade of the legs of the bundle of His)
- Mixed(atrial/ventricular flutter/fibrillation)
Rhythm disturbances may be a natural physiological response, but some are potentially life threatening. Every cell in the heart acts like a pacemaker. A healthy SA node has a heart rate generation rate of 60 to 80. If the sinus node cannot conduct an impulse and generate a heartbeat, then a healthy AV node will do so at a rate of about 40 (the ventricles themselves are capable of generating heart beats at a rate of about 20 per minute). This happens if the cells of the upper chamber do not generate an electrical impulse or electrical signals are blocked. Lower rates are associated with the inability of the heart to pump blood into the body to meet its needs.
Living with heart disease can be emotionally challenging. It is important to manage anxiety and stress. The use of psychological support from the attending physician and family members is recommended. Talk about being referred for individual counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy.