Hypertensive cardiomyopathy

Hypertensive Cardiomyopathy

Hypertensive cardiomyopathy is caused by the excess depression of the myocardial systolic function that in turn increases the stress on the wall of the heart. An individual can have heart failure after functions like ventricular dilatation and depressed systolic remains after the hypertension correction. There are many kinds of heart diseases in which cardiomyopathy is another type. There are many types of cardiomyopathy as well. Hypertension is the major cause of hypertensive cardiomyopathy, hence the name. According to the classification given by WHO/ISFC, hypertensive cardiomyopathy are anything under the category of dilated, unclassified and restrictive. Pathophysiologic of this type of cardiomyopathy is distinct. People who suffer from heart disease are kept under observation and restriction in order to keep them out of stress as much as possible.

Distinct pathophysiologic in hypertension in dilated cardiomyopathy happens from extreme pressure on the systolic wall. In the overloading of right and left ventricles of systolic pressure, there is varieties of phenotypic expression that is qualitatively. This can include the dilation and systolic dysfunction but there is no thickness of the heart wall. Concentric hypertrophy with or without systolic dysfunction and vice versa is seen in hypertensive cardiomyopathy. Local neurohormonal mechanisms contributes to pathophysiology of hypertensive cardiomyopathies. The prognosis of hypertensive cardiomyopathy is possible by the existence of comorbid conditions like diabetes mellitus and diseases like coronary artery. The control of afterload too is another prognosis of hypertensive cardiomyopathy.

Hypertensive cardiomyopathy has treatment similar to ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. The only difference is that the afterload of this heart disease has to be controlled more intensely. Pure antihypertensive vasodilators like amlodipine or a-blocking agents are added to the therapies of heart failure. The symptoms of hypertensive cardiomyopathy are similar to many heart diseases. The symptoms are fatigue, dyspnea, shortness of breath, great need to urinate at night, irregular pulse, weight gain, difficulty sleeping flat in bed, swelling of feet and nausea.

Hypertensive heart disease can give rise to complications known as cardiac arrhythmias, left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease and hypertensive cardiomyopathy. The inflammation of the heart muscles weakens the ability of the heart to pump blood into the other parts of the body. This causes lack of oxygen in the body giving rise to fatigue and restlessness. High blood pressure makes the wall of the heart to be under too much stress. Those with heart defects like congenital disease and valve disease are affected by the hypertensive cardiomyopathy or dilated cardiomyopathy. Immediate attention should be paid to those suffering from this disease. Patients with this type of heart disease must be under constant observation and not be allowed to be very stressed out.

Heart diseases are at times hereditary. In these cases, patients should not be over excited or stressed out. This leads to the formation of excess blood pressure inside the heart and the walls are inflamed not being able to take the pressure. The valves and arteries inside the heart are unable to handle the pressure. The clots too should be removed in order to avoid heart complications. With care and proper medications, there is full scope of recovery.

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary Artery Disease

The changing lifestyle of the people are increasing the risk of heart disease. In the past ten years the maximum death is caused by the heart disease. People suffer from various types of heart disease. One of the most common types of heart disease is Coronary Artery Disease. Most of the people in the world suffer from this disease. Any type of the heart disease can be dangerous to health. The heart disease must be diagnosed earlier in order to avoid the complications. As it is a type of cardiovascular disease special care must be paid to your diet and exercise. It is a disease of arteries. It is also called as CAD. It is said to be one of the main causes of heart attack. In coronary artery disease the blood flow is obstructed in the arteries causing heart attack. When the flow of blood is reduced in the arteries the heart muscles get damaged causing heart attack. It can also result in other heart problems like chest pain. In many cases the disease develops over year and only comes in notice when the patient suffers from heart attack. If the disease is diagnosed in early stage then it can be cured to certain extent thus reducing the complications.

If coronary artery disease becomes more complicated it can largely reduce the supply of oxygenated blood to the heart. The signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease are shortness of breath, chest pain and heart attack. Many people ignore shortnesses of breath but it can be dangerous causing heart attack. Shortness of breath is one o the main symptoms of coronary artery disease. Shortness of breath means the you cannot pump enough blood to the heart. This can also cause fatigue and swelling of arms and ankles. Chest pain is also a common symptom of coronary artery disease. The patient suffering from chest pain can experience heaviness in the chest or pressure in the chest. If the patient suffers from frequent chest pain then he or she must be diagnosed. Heart attack has become very common and maximum number of people are falling pray to it. The maximum number of death in the world is caused by heart attack. In many cases the heart attack happens suddenly without any symptoms and signs. The number of deaths caused by coronary disease is increasing with each year. In United States the disease affecting millions of people.

The complications in coronary artery disease give rise to heart attack, arrhythmia and angina pectoris. Coronary artery disease is the result of atherosclerosis. When a plaque is formed in the arteries it causes atherosclerosis. If the patient is getting early symptoms of coronary artery disease an immediate check up must be done to avoid further complications. If the disease is detected earlier it can reduce many risk. There are lot of tests and surgery done to treat the disease. Those suffering from the disease must put more emphasis on the diet.

Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease is one of the types of heart disease. Congenital heart disease can be developed in a patient since birth that is why it is termed as congenital disease. It can be seen in children and adults. The improper formation of valves and heart muscle give rise to this type of heart disease. The other complications included in this type of disease is the holes in the heart and narrowing of the section of aorta. In most of the cases this disease is detected at the time of the birth while in other cases it comes to know in the later life. According to a research it is found that 1% of the infants are born with some heart problems. Doctors have found many conditions under which the baby is born with a congenital heart disease. Some of the conditions are consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, Congenital heart disease in the baby's mother or father, consumption of cocaine during pregnancy, diabetes in mother, etc. Sometimes the babies are born with heart defects without these conditions. One of the main reasons of heart problems is the improper diet and lack of exercise. In most of the cases the disease is detected in by the doctor at the time of the birth.

Children suffering from congenital heart disease must be given special care must continue with the medications prescribed by the doctor. Taking antibiotics is good which will protect the children from infective endocarditis. In many cases doctor suggest surgery to avoid further complications. There are many types of congenital heart diseases like Persistent truncus arteriosus, Patent ductus arteriosus, Ebstein's anomaly, Ventricular septal defect (VSD), Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, Tetralogy of Fallot, Atrial septal defect (ASD), Pulmonary atresia, Pulmonary Stenosis, Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Atrioventricular canal defect, Tricuspid atresia, Aortic Stenosis, Transposition of the great arteries and Coarctation of the aorta. According to a research it is found that eight in every thousand babies are born with heart problems. If the heart problem remains undetected in the early life it can give rise to many risk in future. These days doctors can even detect the heart problem in child before the baby is born. Here are some of the examples of congenital heart disease like abnormal connections between the vessels and chambers of the heart, narrowing of the artery of the body, failure caused by a blood channel, blockages in the pathways between the lung and heart, openings in the internal wall of the heart, narrowing of the heart valves, etc.

In congenital heart disease the blood is obstructed in the vessels of the heart problem sometime leading to heart attack. When the flow of blood is obstructed it puts strain on the patients heart. Sometimes the abnormal blood flow also happens when there is a hole in heart walls. An early diagnose is to be done if the baby is showing the symptoms of congenital heart disease. Diet should be improved to reduce the risk and complications.

About Heart Disease

Heart Disease

Most of the people in the world suffer from heart disease. In the past couple of decades the number of heart patients have increased tremendously. Th heart is a part of the cardiovascular system and is the most important part of the human body. It is the heart which supply blood to all parts of body cells. The blood pumped by heart carries oxygen which the cells and required. Before knowing about heart disease one must know how people get heart disease. Heart disease is not like a flu or cold which can transfer from one person to another by touching. Many people does not realize that they suffer heart disease unless any major thing happens. Want to know more about heart disease check put the various types of heart disease like Hypertensive heart disease, Cardiovascular disease, Valvular heart disease, Cardiomyopathy, Inflammatory heart disease, Coronary heart disease and Heart failure.

Hypertensive heart disease is a common type of heart disease that most of the people suffer from. This type of heart disease is caused because of high blood pressure. Cardiovascular disease effect the blood vessels and the heart. This heart disease mostly effect arteries and veins. The men who suffers from this type of heart disease their heart muscles are mostly effected but in women it effects the blood vessels. Valvular heart disease as the name suggests is mostly related to the heart valves. This heart disease effect aortic valve stenosis and mitral; valve polapse. Cardiomyopathy is also the most common type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy means heart muscle disease. This heart disease effects the function of myocardium. The people who suffer from this kind of heart disease are at a risk of having sudden cardiac death. Inflammatory heart disease is also very dangerous in which the patient suffer from the inflammation of the heart muscle. Accumulation of atheromatous plaque within the walls of the arteries can cause Coronary heart disease. The heart disease which is caused from any functional cardiac disorder can cause heart failure. From all thee one must have got fair idea about heart disease.

Many people fail to realize they have a heart disease until they face some major problem. The symptoms of heart disease are chest pain, stroke and heart attack. If you find these kind of problems it is suggested to consult the doctor immediately. Get yourself diagnosed properly before opting for any medicine. Some of the common test to be done are If it's not an emergency and a doctor suspects the person could have cardiovascular disease, the doctor can do some tests to find out more about how the heart and blood vessels are working. Some of the tests done for heart disease are Electrocardiogram, Carotid, Echocardiogram, Catheterization and Stress test. All these tests are necessary to do if you want to know about the heart disease. Today maximum number of people are getting effected by the heart disease. In order to avoid all complications of heart disease one must also pay attention to their daily diet.

Ischemic heart disease

Ischemic heart disease

Most of the people in the world suffer from heart disease. In the past couple of decades the number of heart patients have increased tremendously. Th heart is a part of the cardiovascular system and is the most important part of the human body. It is the heart which supply blood to all parts of body cells. The blood pumped by heart carries oxygen which the cells and required. Before knowing about heart disease one must know how people get heart disease. Heart disease is not like a flu or cold which can transfer from one person to another by touching. Many people does not realize that they suffer heart disease unless any major thing happens. Want to know more about heart disease check put the various types of heart disease like Hypertensive heart disease, Cardiovascular disease, Valvular heart disease, Cardiomyopathy, Inflammatory heart disease, Coronary heart disease and Heart failure.

Hypertensive heart disease is a common type of heart disease that most of the people suffer from. This type of heart disease is caused because of high blood pressure. Cardiovascular disease effect the blood vessels and the heart. This heart disease mostly effect arteries and veins. The men who suffers from this type of heart disease their heart muscles are mostly effected but in women it effects the blood vessels. Valvular heart disease as the name suggests is mostly related to the heart valves. This heart disease effect aortic valve stenosis and Mitral Valve prolapse. Cardiomyopathy is also the most common type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy means heart muscle disease. This heart disease effects the function of myocardium. The people who suffer from this kind of heart disease are at a risk of having sudden cardiac death. Inflammatory heart disease is also very dangerous in which the patient suffer from the inflammation of the heart muscle. Accumulation of atheromatous plaque within the walls of the arteries can cause Coronary heart disease. The heart disease which is caused from any functional cardiac disorder can cause heart failure. From all thee one must have got fair idea about heart disease.

Many people fail to realize they have a heart disease until they face some major problem. The symptoms of heart disease are chest pain, stroke and heart attack. If you find these kind of problems it is suggested to consult the doctor immediately. Get yourself diagnosed properly before opting for any medicine. Some of the common test to be done are If it's not an emergency and a doctor suspects the person could have cardiovascular disease, the doctor can do some tests to find out more about how the heart and blood vessels are working. Some of the tests done for heart disease are Electrocardiogram, Carotid, Echo-cardiogram, Catheterization and Stress test. All these tests are necessary to do if you want to know about the heart disease. Today maximum number of people are getting effected by the heart disease. In order to avoid all complications of heart disease one must also pay attention to their daily diet.

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Large number of people are falling victim to heart disease. One of the main reasons of the increase in the number of heart patient is the changing lifestyle. Various types of heart disease are effecting people in large number. The symptoms of each type of heart disease is different. One of the most common types of heart disease is Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy. It is a disease of the heart muscle. This is caused when the heart muscle becomes weak. Cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease is a major public health problem. There are 3 million people in United States currently living with cardiomyopathy. Almost 400,000 people are diagnosed with heart disease each year. This disease has become a prime factor in contributing quarter million deaths in the world. In the past few years the incidence of cardiomyopathy is increasing like anything. Many complications of the disease can be overcome if the patient understand their disease. The patient suffering from Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy must take active participation in treating the disease. The heart muscle become very weak in most cases of alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

There are many disorders which cause numerous types of cardiomyopathy. But whatever may be the type ultimately the same thing happen which is the inefficiency of the heart muscle. It reduces the capacity of the heart to meet the needs of the body. The heart failure happens when the heart can no longer pump enough blood. The cases of Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy is increasing day by day. The main cause of cardiomyopathy is the coronary artery disease. The damage to the heart can be on the region of the heart muscles. One must get themselves diagnosed properly. Go for a proper diet and god exercise which can help the patient to avoid certain complications. As alcoholic cardiomyopathy is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol for long time. It is caused by the direct toxic effects of alcohol. In that case the heart become inefficient and the heart become unable to pump the blood. Not only heart is effected by the Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy but other body parts can also be effected by this. The symptoms of alcoholic cardiomyopathy are decreased alertness or concentration, Shortness of breath, decreased urine output, loss of appetite; ankle, feet, and leg swelling; cough containing mucus, irregular or rapid pulse, breathing difficulty while lying down, overall swelling, weakness, fatigue, faintness, etc. The moment patient is experiencing these symptoms it become necessary to take him to the hospital.

One of the most important treatment for alcoholic cardiomyopathy is to improve the lifestyle and take care of the diet. Stop consuming alcohol. The commonly used medications must be used daily like beta blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors. The patient who are suffering from congestive heart failure must o for a surgical insertion. The patients of alcoholic cardiomyopathy must frequently consult the doctor and must continue with the medications. With latest drugs and technology coming up now one can easily diagonise the alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

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.

Congestive heart failure diet

Congestive heart failure diet should be focused on avoiding salt, lipids (especially animal fats) and alcohol. Enjoying the food we eat is very important, but in time, patients with congestive heart failure will learn to like foods with lower amounts of salt. Salt is one of the most feared “enemies” for patients with heart disease, because it favors water retention and increases heart labor, edema (water retention in the tissues) and worsens heart failure symptoms.

Why is it so important to know and respect  the congestive heart failure diet?

Congestive heart failure diet is important to be respected in order to increase quality of life and slow down the disease evolution. Everyone who reads the sentence above may wonder how can congestive heart failure diet increase the quality of life, when we suppose to give up on so many daily “pleasures”. It is hard to imagine that after a so called “normal” life, when we could eat everything we wanted, one day we have to change our life and eating style completely with a congestive heart failure diet plan . Many patients are tempted to skip these rules, thinking that their physician wouldn’t notice or that a few exceptions from time to time wouldn’t harm anyone.
A congestive heart failure diet that includes avoiding lipids is a fact well known by everyone, but also by few respected. We read in many articles that there are good and bad fats and that fats will increase body weight, however, many patients with heart disease don’t respect congestive heart failure diet and gain weight even after their physician recommended they should lose weight. Once the patients become overweight, the risk of developing diabetes, atherosclerosis and therefore hypertension, coronary disease (which determines chest pain, a very often symptom among patients with coronary disease), heart attacks or strokes increases. Good fats are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, oils and seeds, and also in dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils. Omega-3 fatty acid is an “essential fatty acid,” which cannot be synthesized by our bodies, the only source for this is food. Congestive heart failure diet should contain Omega-3 fatty acids, because these essential acids can lower blood pressure, combat LDL (bad) cholesterol, also it is thought to play a role in brain protection.
Congestive heart failure diet should definitely exclude alcohol, although this is not a type of food it is often used for different, most of them groundless reasons, like routine, entourage acceptance, digestion, pain relieve. Chronic alcohol consumption can determine a type of dilated cardiomyopathy which in time will lead to congestive heart failure. However, small amounts of wine it is considered to have a favorable impact, due to its antioxidant features.
A correct congestive heart failure diet should also contain limited amounts of foods rich in sugar or carbohydrates (the main source of energy for the body, transformed into blood sugar, mostly glucose, the body’s basic fuel and also the main source of calories) like: cookies, chocolate, candies, biscuits, sweet fruits like banana, pears, strawberries, sugar as such, honey, milk, popcorn, green peas, sweet potatoes etc.

Please consult your medic about a congestive heart failure diet, and don’t eat random.

Normal heart sounds

Normal heart sounds are produced by heart valves movements during cardiac cycle (events that take place during a heartbeat). There are two  normal heart sounds which are usually heard during heart auscultation: sound 1 and 2. Before we go farther with explanations, it is better to clarify a few elementary terms in order to understand the rest of the description.
Our heart has four chambers called ventricle and atrium, atrium are the heart chambers located in the upper part, while ventricles are located in the lower part:

• there is a right atrium connected to the right ventricle, in this part of the heart there is blood with carbon dioxide, brought by cava veins from tissues; then blood from right atrium flows through tricuspid valve ( it is like a door between the right chambers of the heart, which is open only in specific moments of the cardiac cycle) into right ventricle,
• the left part of the heart has also two chambers-atrium and ventricle, they are separated by mitral valve and contain blood with oxygen, brought from lungs.

So-called right and left heart are separated by a wall called septum, in abnormal situation this wall can be interrupted letting blood to flow from one part of the heart to the other and this situation can also generate ab normal heart sounds, a murmur that we hear during auscultations.
When we listen heartbeats with a stethoscope we can hear the two normal heart sounds 1 and 2, followed by a pause. Next, we will explain a few terms about cardiac cycle: every cardiac cycle has two phases-the contraction called systole and a pause caused diastole. Why are these two phases of the cardiac cycle so important? The atrium contraction will make blood to flow into the ventricle, while ventricle contraction will „throw” the blood into the main arteries, aorta (this artery with its branches supplies with blood and oxygen all the tissues of the body) and pulmonary artery (the blood with carbon dioxide resulted from cell metabolism is brought to lungs to be oxygenated). The pause we hear is nothing else but the time that hearts needs to relax in order to fill the chambers with blood; in this pause heart muscle also receives blood, because as any organ its function depends on the oxygen supply. All these „events” happen very fast and the indirect prove for these are  the normal heart sounds we hear in the auscultation.

Normal heart sounds description

Finally, we get to the point where we can define the meaning of the normal heart sounds 1 and 2. Sound 1 is a low frequency sound heard at the beginning of the ventricular contraction (also called heart systole), and results from mitral and tricuspid valve closure. Once these valves are closed, the ventricle contraction starts, also the pressure in this chamber increases and the blood will flow into the main arteries. Another normal heart sound is sound 2, a high frequency sound, resulted from aortic and pulmonary arteries valve closure, and signifies the beginning of the heart diastole (the pause that follows heart contraction).
Other sounds we may detect in heart auscultation are sound 3 and 4; these are not considered normal heart sounds, with a few exceptions. Sound 3 is heard in the first part of the diastole (heart pause) and may be the result of tachycardia, heart failure etc. Sound 4 appears in the last part of the heart relaxation, in patients with hypertension, myocarditis (heart muscle dysfunction) or mitral valve narrowing
Normal heart sounds are heard in specific areas of the chest called auscultation areas. Another aspect we have to mention is that normal heart sounds can be more intense in younger persons, due to a thinner thoracic wall or in conditions of stress or in effort, because the blood speed increases.
Normal heart sounds indicate a healthy heart?
 Normal heart sounds are not necessary associated with a normal heart function, that’s why, beside this basic examination, doctors look for other signs, investigations, medical history and symptoms.

Please let the doctor decide if you have normal heart sounds, and never try to treat yourself.

Symptoms of congestive heart failure

 
 









Symptoms of congestive heart failure have a great impact on a person’s life, considering this is a progressive and eventually fatal medical condition. Nowadays, in the economic well developed countries, people die because of the heart problems, more then they do from any other cause. It is important to know that symptoms of congestive heart failure have a fluctuating evolution: there are episodes with severe symptoms, followed by long periods of time when the situation is stable, nevertheless, even if people recover from the acute phase, they can’t return to the previous level of functionality. Also, it is very important to mention that is difficult to predict how much time is left to live once the diagnosis is established, because sudden death isn’t uncommon in these patients. Heart failure is not just a disease of an one individual, but a disease that affects the entire family.

What do you know about symptoms of congestive heart failure?

If you are one of the patients suffering from congestive heart failure, you should be informed about the symptoms of congestive heart failure and when to sick medical help. Every readmission to the hospital will increase mortality; there are medical articles that suggest a 20-30% increase of this risk with every readmission. You may experience shortness of breath during effort (exertion dyspnea), during night (nocturnal paroxysmal dyspnea) or even when you rest( in the advanced stages of the congestive heart failure). At the beginning, shortness of breath occurs only during great effort, but in time, daily activities that once were performed very easily, like dressing, shaving, eating etc, can produce shortness of breath and force the patient to give up on his/her social life and depend on other person’s help. Another form of rest dyspnea is orthopnea, meaning that you can’t breathe while lying in the bed and you require elevation of the head with pillows.
Other symptoms of congestive heart failure are palpitations, rapid heart beats, fatigue, fainting, blue coloring of the lips or limb extremities, accumulation of water in the limbs tissues (this  condition is called edema) lungs, pleural and abdominal cavities, heart murmurs.
Because heart can’t deliver enough blood to muscles, patients will experience weakness and heaviness in the limbs. A low blood flow to the kidneys will determine oliguria (diminished amount of urine), this condition appears in advanced stages, when the cardiac output is severely reduced.
Cerebral manifestations of low cardiac output are also symptoms of congestive heart failure: headaches, insomnia, confusion, memory impairment, anxiety or nightmares. In more severe cases, patients experience other symptoms of congestive heart failure that require special medical care: hallucinations, delirium, disorientation.
In the end, we will present a list with a few symptoms of congestive heart failure, which may guide patients to require medical help (they were published in a guide for caregivers, by The Washington Home Center for Palliative Care Studies):

• gain of 3 pounds or more within a few days or a week,
• increased swelling in hands, ankles or feet,
• difficulty breathing at any time or coughing at night,
• decreased urination,
• confusion, dizziness, or faintness,
• nausea or vomiting,
• increased fatigue,
• muscle cramps or weakness,
• any distressing symptom.

For more info on symptoms of congestive heart failure check with your doctor.

Irregular heartbeat causes

Irregular heartbeat causes are very diversified, beginning with heart disease and continuing with electrolyte imbalance or other medical conditions unrelated to heart pathology. Many times we wonder what is the meaning of the palpitations: Is it something wrong? Do I need to see a doctor?
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),

Atheroma is a swelling of the artery walls determined by an accumulation of lipidis.

• 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.

The usage of drugs is an important problem of the nowadays society, also with a great impact on our body: many times the usage of drugs was mentioned as one of irregular heartbeat causes and there were cases when cocaine consumption determined heart attacks and death.

If you think you have irregular heartbeat causes please see your physician.