Heart palpitation Top 5 causes

Palpitations make you feel like your heart is beating too hard or too fast, skipping a beat, or fluttering. You may notice heart palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck.

Heart Palpitations

Heart palpitations are a feeling that your heart is thrashing too exhausting or too quick, skipping a beat, or fluttering. You may notice heart palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck.

Heart palpitations can be annoying or scary. They usually are not serious or harmful, though, and often get away on their own. Most of the time, they're connected to stress and anxiety or to consumption of stimulants like caffein, nicotine, or alcohol. Palpitations also usually occur throughout gestation.

In rare cases, palpitations can be a symptom of a additional serious cardiovascular disease. Therefore, if you have heart palpitations, make arrangements to see your doctor. And seek immediate medical attention if on with palpitations, you experience shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, or fainting.

After taking your medical history and conducting a physical communication, your doctor may order tests that will either make sure or rule out an underlying cause. If an underlying cause is found, the right treatment can cut back or eliminate palpitations. If your palpitations are not associated with an underlying cause, lifestyle changes, including stress management and the dodging of common triggers, can facilitate stop them.

Causes of Heart Palpitations

Many things will cause heart palpitations. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the cause is either related to your heart or is unknown. Non-heart-related causes of palpitations include:

1. Strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, or stress; palpitations often occur throughout panic attacks.
2. Vigorous physical activity
3. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or illegal street medicine such as cocain and amphetamines
4. Medical conditions, including thyroid sickness, a low glucose level, anemia, low blood pressure, fever, and dehydration
5. Hormonal changes throughout period, pregnancy, or the perimenopausal period; sometimes, palpitations during maternity ar signs of anemia.
6. Medications, including diet pills, decongestants, asthma inhalers, ANd some drugs accustomed stop arrhythmias (a serious regular recurrence problem) or treat an hypoactive thyroid
7. Certain flavourer and nutritionary supplements
8. Abnormal electrolyte levels
9. Some people expertise palpitations when ingestion serious meals that ar made in carbohydrates, sugar, or fat. Sometimes, eating foods with high levels of monosodium salt (MSG), nitrates, or sodium will bring them on.

If you have heart palpitations after ingestion sure foods, the problem may well be food sensitivity. Keeping a food diary can facilitate you establish that foods to avoid.

Palpitations can additionally be associated with underlying cardiovascular disease. When they ar, palpitations are additional seemingly to represent cardiopathy. Heart conditions associated with palpitations include:

1. Prior heart attack
2. Coronary artery disease
3. Other heart issues such as symptom coronary failure, heart valve problems, or heart muscle problems.

Your doctor will conduct a physical examination, take your medical history, and ask concerning your current medications, diet, and lifestyle. The doctor also can raise once, how often, and under what circumstances palpitations occur.

Sometimes, a blood test will reveal the presence of anemia, electrolyte issues, or thyroid abnormalities and help establish the cause of palpitations. Other helpful tests include:

1. Electrocardiogram (ECG). An graphical record will be done either whereas you're at rest or whereas you're workout. The latter is called a stress graphical record. An graphical record records your heart's electrical signals and will discover abnormalities within the heart's rhythm.
2. Holter monitoring. A Holter monitor is worn on the chest. It continuously records your heart's electrical signals for twenty four to forty eight hours. It can discover rhythm abnormalities that weren't known throughout a regular graphical record take a look at.
3. Event recording. An event recorder is worn on the chest. You use a handheld device to record the heart's electrical signals once symptoms occur.
4. Chest X-ray.
5. Echocardiogram. This is an ultrasound examination of the center. It provides detailed info concerning the heart's structure and perform.
6. If necessary, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for extra tests or treatment.

Treatment of Heart Palpitations

Treatment of heart palpitations depends on their cause. In most cases, palpitations are found to be harmless and typically flee on their own. In those cases, no treatment is needed.

If palpitations are not as a result of an underlying condition, your doctor may advise you to avoid the things that trigger them. Strategies could include:

Reducing anxiety and stress. Common stress-reducing therapies include relaxation exercises, yoga, tai chi, biofeedback, guided mental imagery, and aromatherapy.

Avoiding certain foods, beverages, and substances. This may embody alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and illegal medicine.

Avoiding medications that act as stimulants. These include cough and cold medicines, and certain flavourer and nutritionary supplements.

If lifestyle changes fail to cut back or eliminate palpitations, your doctor may visit sure medications. In some cases, beta-blockers or calcium-channel blockers are used.

If your doctor finds that your palpitations are connected to an underlying condition, such as anemia, the focus are going to be on treating that condition. If the palpitations are caused by a medication, your doctor will attempt to notice another medication you'll be able to use. If the palpitations represent an cardiopathy, medications or procedures may be needed. You may even be spoken a regular recurrence specialist called an electrophysiologist.

Mild Heart Attack Symptoms

Sometimes there is a formation of fatty plaque in some parts of the heart and the supply of blood to that part get restricted and due to which supply of oxygen also get reduced and the heart muscles of that portion become inactive and in turn become the cause of heart attack in that person.

Mild heart attack is a term normally referred to a condition in which a person experiences a heart attack but his medical conditions like heart rhythm, blood pressure etc is stable throughout the attack and the heart also keep on doing its work as in normal circumstances and ECG also don’t detect any kind of problem in the heart. Due to prolonged deprivation of oxygen the heart muscles start dying and in turn cause more serious heart problems and serious heart attack.

Heart attack is the most important cause of death rate both in men and women but the condition has been much under control by the inventions of new methods of treatments. But to get wanted results the treatment should start within an hour as the symptoms of heart attack occur. Generally the symptoms of mild heart attack in men is chest pain but the symptoms are slightly different in women as they suffer quite different symptoms like jaw pain, poor digestion and weakness.
Common symptoms of mild heart attack:

Some typical symptoms of mild heart attack are listed below:

• Feeling dizziness sometimes along with nausea but occurrence of nausea is not compulsory.
• Feeling of uneasiness or soreness in left arm and hand.
• A clinching pain is felt in the chest which reduces sometimes but never ends completely by walking or changing the position of body. Gradually the pain elevates towards the shoulders, jaws, back bone and sometimes even teeth. Some patients feel this pain even radiating towards their shoulder blades. The main symptom of heart attack is pain in jaw, arms or in back.

• A very strong pain is felt in the center of the chest which is also a symptom of heart attack.
• A prickling sensation is felt in the arm, shoulder or jaw.
• Heaviness is felt in the lower abdomen which is sometimes mixed with poor digestion.
• Trouble in breathing or complete breathlessness.
• Fainting due to shortness of breath or complete breathlessness is also a sign of heart attack.
• Elaborate sweating is also a symptom of mild heart attack.
• Vomiting due to heaviness in the lower abdomen also expresses mild heart attack.
• Sometimes heartburn or feeling of indigestion is also a sign of heart attack.
• Severe state of anxiety or feeling the end of everything.

All above symptoms are the most common of heart attack and if any of these symptoms are seen one should consult the doctor and should not wait for all the symptoms to occur as most of the deaths due to heart attack are because they didn’t reach the doctor within the time.

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

In some cases the heart attack symptoms in women can be different from the symptoms that occur in men. At the end of the day, whether you are a man or a woman, it is important to recognize these symptoms and do all that you can in an effort to receive medical attention. The biggest factor to surviving a heart attack is to identify what the potential symptoms are and to get to the hospital immediately. A mistake that many women make is that they do not seek out medical help fast enough. Women must know what they are at risk for, recognize it if they feel the symptoms and get in front of a doctor as soon as possible.

Uncomfortable pressure in the chest is reported by about half of women who have suffered a heart attack. The pressure can feel like a heaviness or squeezing sensation in, or near, the area where the heart is located. In some cases, women have reported that the pain and discomfort has spread to the left arm.

One of the big heart attack symptoms in women is a feeling of pain around the upper stomach area. It is important to note that this pain can be related to the heart and not just a bout of indigestion or acid reflux. Some women have self diagnosed this pain improperly and have treated it by using antacids with no luck. If you are experiencing an unusual amount of pain in this area then there is a chance that you are having a heart attack. Pain in the upper stomach area can act as a precursor to other symptoms. If you wait until you feel the other symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain, it may be too late. That is why it is important to get in front of a doctor at the first sign of a heart attack.

Women are at risk of having a heart attack just like men are. Things such as stress and obesity can trigger a heart attack in the blink of an eye. If you are having unusual feelings of fatigue, trouble sleeping or spells of dizziness then you may be a candidate for a heart attack in the near future. If some of these early warning signs come up then you can take action in order to prevent yourself from having a heart attack. Heart attack symptoms in women should be something that each woman is aware of. Knowing the symptoms can be the difference between life and death.

Symptoms of Heart Disease

Symptoms of Heart Disease

No single can be branded as Symptoms of Heart Disease. Then it no one single reason that indicates a heart disorder. There are certain symptoms that suggest the possibility of heart disease. Together they make the diagnosis almost certain. Doctors identify Symptoms of Heart Disease by interviewing the person to obtain the medical history and by performing a physical examination. Often, diagnostic procedures are performed to confirm the result of the diagnosis. However, sometimes a heart disorder, even when serious, produces no symptoms until it reaches a late stage. Routine health checkups or a visit to the doctor for some other reason may uncover a heart disorder that has caused no Symptoms of Heart Disease, earlier. Sometimes doctors perform procedures to screen for a heart disorder even when there is no evidence of it.

The Symptoms of Heart Disease include certain types of pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitation or irregular heartbeats, light-headedness, fainting, and swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet. However, these symptoms do not necessarily indicate a heart disorder. For example, chest pain may be due to a respiratory or digestive disorder rather than to a heart disorder. But as soon as you experience any of the above mentioned complains you must consult your doctor for confirmation. Peripheral Symptoms of Heart Disease and blood vessel disorders vary depending on where the affected blood vessels are located. These symptoms may include pain, muscle fatigue, muscle cramps, light-headedness, swelling, numbness, shortness of breath, and a change in skin color of the affected part of the body.

Chest pain is the most prominent Symptoms of Heart Disease. Immediately life-threatening causes include a heart attack, separation of the layers of the aorta's wall, that is known as aortic dissection, rupture of the esophagus, a blood clot in the lungs, and a type of collapsed lung in which pressure builds up enough to obstruct blood flow returning to the heart. Pain may occur when tissues do not get enough blood, this condition is called ischemia. Pain occurs because the tissues do not get enough oxygen that is carried to tissues by the blood, and also because waste products, which are carried away from tissues by the blood, accumulate. Other Symptoms of Heart Diseases are: Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm or below the breastbone, Discomfort radiating to the back, throat, jaw or arm, Extreme weakness, anxiety or shortness of breath, Rapid or irregular heartbeats, Fullness, indigestion or choking feeling, he may also feel heartburn, Sweating, vomiting, nausea, or dizziness.

During a heart attack, symptoms last for 30 minutes or longer and are not relieved by rest or oral medications. Initial symptoms started as a mild discomfort that then it progresses to significant pain. Swelling is due to the accumulation of fluid in tissues. Swelling is another important Symptoms of Heart Disease. It occurs when blood puddles in the leg veins, increasing pressure in the leg veins and forcing fluids out of the veins into tissues.

Heart palpitations at night

Why do we have heart palpitations at night?

Before we discuss the matter of heart palpitations at night, we have to clarify the meaning of the word “palpitation” in general. Palpitations refer to irregular heart beats, usually the heart beats to fast, or with pauses from time to time and gives us an abnormal sensation, sometimes associated with dizziness, light-headed sensation, shortness of breath, chest pain etc.
We all had palpitation at least once in our life, and this doesn’t mean we have a heart disease, because these symptoms occur in healthy people during exercise or associated to stress, smoking, coffee. Even so, if the palpitation persist or are associated with shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, dizziness, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible.
Some patients complain they have heart palpitations at night, which prevent them from falling asleep or wake them up in the middle of the night.

Heart palpitations at night -causes:

Normal heart rate for an adult is 60-90 beats/minute. If the heart rate is higher the 90 beats per minute, then the condition is called tachycardia and can provoke palpitation. Not only rapid heart rate can cause palpitation but also irregular heart beats, known as arrhythmia, which is the main cause behind palpitation. Why some patients experience heart palpitations at night, during rest, when heart labor is smaller?
Heart palpitations at night can be determined by one of the following cause:

• too much stress and anxiety gathered during the daytime. It is a habit now that every time we go to sleep, we think again at the daily problems and try to find a solution, as it is said night is a good adviser. If your mind is concerned about certain problems happening in your life, you may be lying down and think about it over and over again, but the emotions and the psychical tension can generate palpitation.
• excessive consumption of caffeine before sleeping can generate insomnia and palpitation, if you drink a lot of coffee, especially before sleeping, you may consider giving up.
• smoking
• alcohol consumption
• medication-some drugs used to treat different diseases (like asthma, heart diseases, high blood pressure, cold) can determine palpitation: pseudoephedrine used in cold medication, theophylline for asthma etc.
• pregnancy
• fever-it is well known that body temperature elevation is associated with rapid heart beats and sometimes with palpitations
• vigorous exercise before sleeping
• breathing problems determined by lung diseases determine a low level of oxygen in the body, which can lead to heart palpitations at night
• heart problem-patients with heart failure may develop paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (shortness of breath that occurs suddenly during night in patient with left heart failure) and palpitations, forcing them to wake up and search for an open window to get fresh air
• hyperthyroidism (a higher level of thyroid hormones can determine irregular or rapid heart beats)
• elevated blood pressure

If I have heart palpitations at night-how can my doctor discover if there is something wrong in my body?
Yes it is possible. For patients that have these symptoms only during night it is difficult to  diagnose them during a simple medical visit, but if a special device called holter ecg is used, then this is no longer a problem. Holter ECG is a portable medical device that the patient “wears” for 24 hours and it records heart activity during this period of time.
Heart palpitations at night-treatment
Heart palpitations at night can be treated only after proper tests are made in order to establish the correct diagnosis. In many cases, palpitations have no serious cause and a short time treatment associated with a life style change can be the “cure”.
Special precaution in patients with heart palpitations at night:

• avoid consumption of alcohol, coffee, drugs (marijuana, cocaine) or smoking
• avoid stress and anxiety-there are many types of techniques used against anxiety (psychotherapy, sports, taking vacation, travelling etc.)
• sometimes medication is needed in order to control anxiety
• respect your hours of sleep
• avoid if possible the intake of medication that stimulate palpitations

Heart palpitations at night can be very uncomfortable, but sometimes a simple change in the  daily habits can make them disappear.

Fibrillation of the heart

Fibrillation of the heart

In the next part of the article we will discuss about fibrillation of the heart, one type of irregular heart rate and what are the consequences for our body. Our heart is an organ that has a so called „automatism”, an intrinsic property of the cardiac tissue to create its own electric impulse, a signal that allows changes in cell metabolism in order to generate cardiac muscle contraction and therefore pumping blood into the arteries. This electric signal is generated in the sinus node (a structure capable of generating electric signal, located in right atrium) and then conducted through special structures until it reaches the ventricles (heart chambers that pump blood into the arteries). If these structures called pacemakers, can’t function normally, irregular heart rate occurs and one of them is fibrillation of the heart.

 What is fibrillation of the heart ?

What is fibrillation of the heart? And how many types of fibrillation of the heart exist? There are two types of fibrillation of the heart: one is called atrial fibrillation and another ventricular fibrillation. The difference between these types of fibrillation of the heart is not just in name, but also in origin and prognostic. The first type of fibrillation of the heart-the atrial fibrillation-is an irregular heart rate generated in multiple atrial cells (but not in the sinus node which is the „natural” heart pacemaker).
Patients with atrial fibrillation may experience palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, drowsiness, fainting, but there are some patients that don’t complain of any symptom and they are diagnosed with the occasion of a routine medical check or when the complications occur. Usually, atrial fibrillation allows blood clots to form and they can flow in the arteries and block them, causing a condition known as ischemia: the tissues won’t receive enough blood and oxygen and cells start to die. In this situation, strokes, pulmonary embolism (clots in the pulmonary arteries that can lead to death), limbs ischemia (if untreated it can lead to amputation) can occur and can lead to patient’s death, if immediate  measures aren’t taken. On the electrocardiogram, in atrial fibrillation there is an irregular heart rate, without „P” waves (which are a mark of  heart rate generated by the sinus node) and the frequency of the heart beats can vary: low, average or rapid.
If this arrhythmia was discovered at its beginning, a conversion to the normal heart rate called sinus rhythm can be tried (either using medication or with electric shocks). After this procedure succeeded, other medication is needed in order to maintain the normal heart rate, to control the normal frequency of the heart beats and prevent blood clotting. In some patients, when the beginning of this arrhythmia is unknown, doctors will use only drugs to control the heart rate (beta blockers like metoprolole, atenolol; digoxin-a drug that increases heart contractility and also has antuarrthymic properties, very often used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, calcium channel blockers like amlodipine, verapamil, diltiazem) and prevent blood clotting. Atrial fibrillation associated with rapid heart rate can be a severe medical condition affecting the level of consciousness and the only way to save patient life is the electrical conversion to the sinus rhythm using electric shocks.
The other type of fibrillation of the heart-ventricular fibrillation is an irregular heart rate generated in the ventricular cells and is not compatible with life, meaning that is one of the heart rate that generates cardiac arrest. Heart stops from beating and emergency measures of resuscitation are needed-cardiac massage alternating with artificial oxygenation of lungs, using facial masks with balloons or orotracheal intubation (which is preferred if it is possible to perform), electric shocks, specific medication like adrenaline, vasopressin, amiodarone. If in 30-45 minutes all these maneuvers are unsuccessfully, then the patient is declared dead.

As we saw above, fibrillation of the heart is a major heart disorder, that requires  special attention, knowledge, maneuvers and skills, since ventricular fibrillation is the most frequent cause of cardiac arrest in adults.