Cardiac Arrhythmia

Cardiac Arrhythmia

Cardiac arrhythmia is caused by conditions where in the heart, the electric activity is irregular, faster or slower than the normal activity. The normal activity of the heart is highly hampered by this condition. Cardiac arrhythmia can cause heart attacks and sudden deaths. In extreme cases there is variations in the heart beats. Some cardiac arrhythmia can cause missing of heartbeats and tachycardia. However these symptoms are nothing about which one should be alarmed. In cardiac arrhythmia, people can experience sinus arrhythmia that is mild acceleration along with normal rhythm of the heart movements occurring by breathing normally. The normal resting of the heart beats ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute in an adult. The heart beats are controlled by sinoatrial node or sinus node that is an area in the upper chamber of the human heart. The specialized cells contains spontaneous electrical activity which starts the normal heart beats in an individual.

In cardiac arrhythmia, tachycardia is when the heart beats faster than the rate of of 100 beats per minute. However the age of an individual is very important in determining this factor. For instance, a younger individual has a faster heart beat compared to older individuals. The sinus node inside the heart has an increased rate of activity when an individual is exercising or doing something that requires exertion of physical activities. The development of faster activities of the sinus nodes are known as sinus tachycardia. When the activity reaches to extreme levels then cardiac arrhythmia occurs. In cardiac arrhythmia, the ventricles of the heart experiences such tachycardia for a longer time and then causes the reaction. The palpitations felt under such conditions are tachycardia.

Tachycardia in cardiac arrhythmia can cause lowering of the blood pressures. This in turn leads to dizziness, fainting or lightheaded sensations. When tachycardia is rapid, the pumping function of the heart is hampered. In extreme cases, tachycardia lead to sudden death. However most of the tachycardia suffered by an individual is not very harmful. The rise in adrenaline too causes tachycardia. The cause of tachycardia can be stress or induced substances like intake of caffeine, alcohol and amphetamines. People suffering from overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) too suffer from tachycardia in cardiac arrhythmia.

People suffering from cardiac arrhythmia should restrict from the agents or activities that cause tachycardia. While the fast movements are called tachycardia, the slow beating of the hearts are known as bradycardia. In this type of cardiac arrhythmia, the heart beats less than 60 beats per hour. The causes of bradycardia are supply of low oxygen, blockage in the heart and electrolyte abnormalities. A pacemaker is required when this condition causes symptoms implantation. In both tachycardia and bradycardia, medical attention needs to be paid. Another form of cardiac arrhythmia is known as fibrillation. In this condition, there is quivering motion inside the heart muscle because of disunity in contractile cell function. There are two types of fibrillation like atrial fibrillation in the atrium and ventricular fibrillation in the ventricles. The ventricular fibrillation is more life threatening than atrial fibrillation.

Ischemic heart disease

Ischemic heart disease arises when a patient has an obstruction in the arteries feeding their heart (coronary artery disease).  The older you become and if you smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, your risk of IHD increases.  Ischemic heart disease is the leading killer among adults in the United States.

Ischemic heart disease can cause angina (chest pain during exercise) and can bring on a myocardial infarction, otherwise known as a heart attack.  Ischemia may be caused by a high fat diets and little or no exercise, which may also lead to angina.

Angina

The major indication of Angina is pain over the mid chest that sometimes radiates down the left arm, to the jaw or back.  The existence of episodes of angina is in essence diagnostic of Ischemic Heart Disease.  The symptoms of angina pectoris can commonly be controlled by beta-blockers, nitrates and calcium-channel blockers.  Beta blockers have also proven to decrease the risk of troubling cardiac events in patients with angina.



Heart Attack

Most heart attacks are caused by Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), a plaque that has built up on the walls inside your coronary arteries.  These are the arteries that oxygen and blood to your heart.  This plaque can break off and cause a blood clot which can block your artery to which no blood or oxygen can flow, thus causing a Heart Attack or Myocardial Infarction.



So, please be sure to take care of your self by eating healthy and exercising frequently.  Get regular checkups and if you have any question that you may be having angina or a heart attack please seek medical attention right away.