In some cases, irregular heartbeat causes remain uncovered, persons with “healthy” hearts experience palpitations (also called arrhythmia in medical practice). However, each person with these complaints should have a medical examination, in order to exclude a disorder that may cause these symptoms, as we will see next.
A normal heart rate is 60 to 90 beats per minute; if heart rate is under 60 beats/minute, then we have a bradycardia and over 90 beats/minute a tachycardia. Arrhythmia occurs with a normal heart rate, but also with a low or rapid heart rate.
In order to understand the next medical terms, some specifications are necessary: sinus node, atrioventricular node and Purkinje fibers are the heart system (the heart pacemakers) which normally conducts impulse to muscle cells and make the contraction possible; a pacemaker is a group of cells capable of generating electrical impulse and heart contraction;
How many types of irregular heartbeat causes exist in medical practice?
- sinus node dysfunction (one of the pacemakers, located in the atrium is no longer working properly): e.g. sinus bradycardia, sinus node stops, sinus node blocks,
- supraventricular extrasystoles (irregular heart beats generated in the sinus node or atrioventricular node, they occur faster then a normally heart beat and are followed by a pause)
- sinus tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia (rapid heart rate generated above the ventricular tissue)
- atrial fibrillation and flutter (irregular heart beats generated by multiple atrial pacemakers, others then the normal heart pacemakers)
- ventricular tachycardia (rapid heart beats generated in ventricles), extrasystoles (a premature heart contraction generated by a ventricle pacemaker) and ventricular fibrillation (rapid heart rate, incompatible with life, this is a heart rate that determines cardiac arrest)
- atrioventricular blocks (cardiac impulse is delayed or blocked in the atrioventricular node, and will be received by ventricles later or at all)
- torsade of points (a form of ventricular tachycardia that occurs when there is a potassium deficit)
What are the irregular heartbeat causes?
There are different disorders that can be a cause of irregular heartbeat causes including:- Coronary artery disease ( coronary vessels that supply heart tissues with blood are blocked, usually by atheroma, the consequence of this blockage will be heart ischemia-the oxygen deprivation of heart tissues- and this can be one of the irregular heartbeat causes),
- A heart attack it is common among irregular heartbeat causes,
- Electrolyte imbalances (such as sodium, magnesium or potassium): e.g. a high level of potassium can result in cardiac arrest,
- Heart muscle changes (fibrosis-a conjunctive tissue deposit in the heart muscle- can also affect cells responsible for electrical impulse generation- the pacemakers),
- Healing process after heart surgery,
- Heart failure it is also one of the irregular heartbeat causes, because in this condition one of the mechanism that heart uses to compensate for its diminished function is sinus tachycardia (if it can’t pump a proper amount of blood, it tries to pump a smaller amount but faster),
- Infection or fever is one of the irregular heartbeat causes, many times associated with sinus tachycardia,
- Anemia, in severe cases produces sinus tachycardia, the heart tries to pump the blood faster, in order to compensate for the lack of red blood cells and hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier,
- Thyroid disease-e.g. hyperthyroidism is associated with rapid heart beats, while hypothyroidism with low heart rate,
- Emotional stress produces irregular heartbeats, specially in people suffering from heart diseases,
- Usage of caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are related with irregular heartbeat causes.
