Cardiac arrhythmia is a general term used to denote heart rhythm disturbances provoked by various reasons. Classifying cases of arrhythmia, doctors take into account the mechanism of the disease, the cause of its development, the manifestations characteristic of the case, and the prognosis. Treatment of arrhythmia is not the easiest task, and its development almost always indicates serious problems of the cardiovascular system, so you should not delay with measures to restore he alth. A neglected case is fraught with risks to life.
General information
A he althy heart beats rhythmically, and departments contract sequentially. The activity of the ventricle follows the activity of the atrium, the cycle repeats. In a minute, the frequency of contractions in a he althy person varies from 60 to 80. Such indicators, provided that the rhythm of contractions is clear, indicate excellent he alth of the heart system. Arrhythmia is accompanied by a change in frequency. If the value is below the norm, bradycardia is diagnosed, in the opposite case, tachycardia. Cardiac arrhythmia is a general collective term for irregular contractions of an organ. Species are distinguished inside it:
- flickering;
- blockade;
- extrasystole.
Where did the trouble come from?
There are several known causes that can provoke cardiac arrhythmia:
- pathologies affecting the heart, blood vessels;
- brain disease;
- infection;
- menopause;
- impaired activity of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland;
- violation of myocardial metabolism;
- heavy physical activity;
- stress factors, experiences;
- bad habits;
- toxic agents;
- medicines.
Arrhythmia is a condition that every person experiences at least once in a lifetime. This is a normal response to fever, emotional shock, and some other situations. Random cardiac arrhythmia is not a cause for concern. As a rule, such conditions are not dangerous to life and he alth. But with prolonged or frequently recurring attacks, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause and characteristics of the condition, to select adequate measures to bring the heart in order.
Types and features
When the heart beats less than 60 times per minute, doctors set bradycardia. In a certain group of people, this condition does not indicate he alth problems, but is a kind of norm. This applies to athletes, people who constantly train under conditions of a sufficiently strong load. However, in most cases, such a heart rate is a sign of cardiac arrhythmia. You can notice bradycardia by the following manifestations:
- sicknessnear the heart;
- weakness;
- close to fainting;
- loss of consciousness (briefly);
- chill;
- sweating;
- pressure instability.
Dizziness is common with bradycardia.
The considered type of cardiac arrhythmia can develop in a very pronounced form, when the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle is less than 40 acts per minute. Often this provokes a failure of the functioning of the heart. The patient is shown the installation of a pacemaker. Lack of treatment is life-threatening.
Alternative
Another form of cardiac arrhythmia in men, women is tachycardia. With it, the heart beats more than 90 times per minute. It is customary to talk about pathological, physical forms. The first is caused by some diseases, most often - the heart or blood vessels, but the impact of disruption of other systems is possible. Physiological is diagnosed if pathologies cannot be detected.
Tachycardia provoked by strong emotions, stress is considered the norm. Sometimes the heart rate is disturbed due to a sharp change in posture, heat, lack of air, too deep a breath, overeating. All these cases are accompanied by a short change in the parameters of the activity of the heart muscle. If tachycardia is provoked by medications, it is also considered physiological.
Symptoms of this type of cardiac arrhythmia:
- artery pulsing in the neck;
- heartbeat is fast, feels sick, attracts attention;
- concern;
- excitement;
- fainting.
Usually dizzy. The pathological variety requires timely medical attention. Arrhythmia of the heart of this form without adequate treatment provokes insufficiency of the heart in an acute form, can cause a heart attack or cardiac arrest.
Extrasystole
This term is used when a person has arrhythmia of the heart characterized by the presence of extraordinary contractile acts. Possible failure from the atria, but there is a risk that it will be the ventricle. Among other cases, extrasystole is recorded quite often. Single violations occurred in almost any person, even if there are no problems with heart he alth. With full he alth, 4% of extraordinary contractions per day are allowed. The disorder often acquires a pathological form in people older than fifty years of age. According to statistics, up to 80% of our fellow citizens know for themselves what it is - cardiac arrhythmia in adults. The disorder manifests itself as specific malfunctions in the functioning of the heart. The most common symptoms of extrasystolic cardiac arrhythmias are:
- feeling like out of breath;
- heart stops;
- premature heartbeats that feel sick as if the heart was pushed hard.
If the episodes recur often enough, there is reason to think about the need for treatment. Frequent violation of the rhythm of the heartbeat worsens the quality of blood circulation in the heart and brain, which means that the likelihood of angina pectoris, malnutrition of brain cells, increases. From medicalstatistics know for sure that extrasystole is associated with an increased risk of sudden death of the heart, atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation
Most often it is because of this diagnosis that people ask the doctor how to treat cardiac arrhythmia. It is the ciliated form that is most common among patients in the cardiology department of modern clinics. A distinctive feature of the pathological condition is the uneven contraction of the heart. The atria are described as fluttering and the ventricles are contracting with an irregular rhythm.
From statistics it is known that atrial fibrillation in people under 60 years of age is diagnosed only in 1% of cases, but at 75 years of age and older, almost every third suffers from such a violation of the activity of the main organ.
You can notice atrial fibrillation by the following symptoms:
- heart rate reaches 150, sometimes 180 beats in 60 seconds;
- person feels that the heart is malfunctioning;
- chest hurts;
- out of air;
- troubled by shortness of breath;
- dizzy.
As can be seen from the numerous reviews compiled by patients, atrial fibrillation leads to rapid fatigue.
Sometimes this form develops due to a genetic factor if the child is born with a heart defect. Symptoms of arrhythmia of the heart may appear for reasons:
- ischemia;
- hypertension;
- failure of the heart muscle;
- lack of potassium in the blood;
- overly active or sluggish thyroid gland;
- poisoning;
- addiction to alcohol;
- stress load;
- overwork;
- drug program.
Heart block
If this type is set, at the appointment the doctor will tell you in detail what is dangerous for cardiac arrhythmia. Blockade is a term applied to a situation where the myocardium conducts impulses slowly or does not perform this function at all. The cause of the blockade may be a pathological change in the structure of the muscle, atherosclerosis, heart defects. It is possible to develop this type of arrhythmia due to heredity or excessive use of medications. Heart block is provoked by menopausal changes in the body, a violation of the thyroid gland.
The main types of heart block are distinguished:
- transitory;
- intermittent;
- inside the ventricles;
- inside the atria;
- between the atria;
- atrioventricular.
Against the background of the mentioned causes of cardiac arrhythmia, disturbing manifestations are possible:
- convulsiveness;
- fainting;
- pulse disappears from time to time.
There is a risk of acute heart failure. Heart block increases the risk of sudden death.
Clarifying the diagnosis
The doctor tells, before explaining how to treat cardiac arrhythmia, why such a he alth disorder is dangerous, but really accurate informationa specialist can provide only on the basis of the results of specific studies that allow clarifying the characteristics of the patient's condition. To do this, appoint:
- monitoring the work of the heart during the day;
- electrocardiogram;
- electrophysiological analysis;
- Treadmill test;
- ECHOCG.
What to do?
In case of cardiac arrhythmia, you must first consult a doctor for a full examination. Based on the results of the tests, the doctors will choose the best treatment option. Of course, folk recipes are known that are more or less useful for patients, but you should not make them the center of a therapeutic course. It is reasonable to resort to a comprehensive program that includes medicines and folk remedies, but all points of such treatment should be agreed with the doctor so as not to cause irreparable harm to your he alth.
Arrhythmia sometimes worries even a perfectly he althy person. If the state of he alth at the same time does not get worse, and attacks come occasionally, no treatment is needed. If the symptoms are prolonged or frequent, you should visit a cardiologist. The comprehensive program will include drugs and procedures to stabilize cardiac function and metabolic processes in the body. Doctors will check the pressure, give advice on its normalization, identify comorbidities, if any, and select a course to eliminate them.
When addressing a doctor with questions about how to treat cardiac arrhythmia, you need to understand: regardless of the type and causes of the violation, the most effective course will be the one started when the disease is still developing. Howthe more neglected the case, the more difficult it will be to regain the quality of life.
Dangerous or not?
Very rarely, an arrhythmia occurs on its own. In the predominant percentage of cases, it is only a symptom indicating some kind of disease. In some cases, arrhythmia signals minor difficulties, but may be disturbing due to a severe systemic disease. The first manifestation of arrhythmia usually gives rise to fear. Many survivors commented that it felt like the heart might not start beating normally again.
Even a non-life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia is a reason to start adequate treatment. However, here it is important not to become a "shooter from a cannon at sparrows", since an ill-conceived medication course can only make oneself worse.
General nuances of treatment
If bradycardia is established, the main task of the program is to identify the cause of the violation and eliminate it.
With atrial fibrillation, the patient is prescribed glycosides for the heart, beta-blockers, drugs to inhibit calcium channels. Additionally, the cause of the arrhythmia is identified and a program is prescribed to eliminate the underlying disease. Currently, there are no universal treatment regimens for atrial fibrillation. In each case, the doctor develops an individual program. Shown to one patient for another may cause deterioration.
If ventricular fibrillation, flutter is established, professionals should help. Medical methods are ineffective, the only way to return the patient tolife - defibrillation with electric current. In resuscitation, the patient is provided with patency for oxygen supply to the lungs, cardiac massage is performed, the heart is stimulated with electrical impulses, and concomitant disorders (edema, pressure indicators) are corrected. Despite advances in medicine in recent years, the prognosis for this condition is often poor. Worst of all, the situation develops if arrhythmia is accompanied by cardiogenic shock, insufficiency of the heart in a pronounced form. With this combination of pathological conditions, the probability of death is high.
Sinus node weakness
This is a form of arrhythmia that often develops against the background:
- drug poisoning;
- ischemia;
- myocarditis;
- heart attack;
- blood flow problems.
Signs of violation:
- sinus bradycardia;
- sinoauricular blockade;
- short-term loss of sinus rhythm, its replacement by ectopic;
- bradycardia is replaced by tachycardia and vice versa;
- Adams-Morgagni-Stokes attack;
- cardiac arrest.
With this diagnosis, the patient is shown drugs containing atropine, isadrin. Belladonna-based remedies may be helpful. In general, the effectiveness of a conservative course of treatment is relatively low. The most positive prognosis is provided for those who decide to implant a pacemaker.
Age and dangers
It is believed that the risk of developing arrhythmia is higher in peopleolder age, but in recent years the frequency of occurrence of disorders in children and adolescents has increased. Mostly, the causes differ from those provoking arrhythmias in adult patients. Failures in the work of the heart are possible, manifesting themselves as severe symptoms, in others they are almost invisible, the disease proceeds secretly, and it can be detected during the removal of an electrocardiogram as part of a preventive examination.
More often arrhythmia in childhood is caused by:
- hereditary factor;
- birth defects;
- diseases provoked by various reasons.
Sometimes a combined arrhythmia is diagnosed. The disease is characterized by the severity of the course and a poor prognosis, provokes complications. Her treatment is not an easy task.
"Interesting" position
Often, arrhythmia worries pregnant women. The prognosis for the development of the condition, including with respect to the fetus, is determined by individual characteristics. In an impressive percentage of cases, there are no dangers, since arrhythmia is a normal response to changes taking place in the body - but this only applies to situations where a heartbeat rhythm failure is rarely observed, it proceeds easily. Statistics show that every fifth expectant mother encountered during pregnancy with manifestations of tachycardia, extrasystole. Increased arrhythmia is observed against the background of late toxicosis.
When pregnancy is normal, the rhythm of ventricular contraction is slightly corrected. Medical attention is needed if the frequency of strokes drops to 35 or less per minute. If this happens at the momentthe birth of a child, the use of auxiliary obstetric devices is required to alleviate the condition of the woman in labor.
Organic heart disease makes pregnant women especially careful. Atrial fibrillation may indicate the impossibility of preserving the fetus. If the child is decided to be left, the arrhythmia is taken into account when choosing a birth method. It should be remembered that a caesarean section for arrhythmias can cause thromboembolism.
How to treat cardiac arrhythmia at home?
The first help that a person can give himself is to give up bad habits and normalize the rhythm of life, the nutrition program. Doctors have developed a special "Diet No. 10" for people suffering from heart disorders. It involves the rejection of fatty, spicy, heavy dishes. You will have to eat in small portions, maintaining fairly short intervals between approaches. Fractional nutrition creates a minimal burden on the body. Will have to give up strong drinks, including coffee and tea.
Among traditional medicine recipes, various uses of hawthorn dominate. You can prepare infusions, decoctions and teas on the fruits, inflorescences and leaves of this plant yourself, you can buy a finished product in a pharmacy - fees, tinctures, capsules. When choosing a pharmacy option, before use, you should consult a doctor and study the instructions from the manufacturer.
In addition to the hawthorn, valerian and motherwort will benefit. They can also be used in the form of capsules, tinctures, homemade tinctures orindustrial production. These drugs have a mild sedative effect, reduce stress, that is, reduce the influence of one of the most common factors that provoke arrhythmia.
Folk remedies: what will help?
It is believed that a medicine prepared with fresh lemon can bring benefits for arrhythmias. For half a kilogram of crushed fruits, they take the same amount of honey, mix everything, introduce finely crushed apricot kernels into the composition. The medicine is used in food twice daily; dosage - tablespoon.
A mixture of apple and onion has proven itself well. One mashed fruit is taken on the crushed rhizome, mixed and used for food. The duration of treatment is a month. The medicine is recommended to be taken between meals twice a day daily.
It is believed that with arrhythmia, a mixture of grated celery rhizome and chopped dill, parsley will be useful. Products are diluted with fat-free sour cream and used for food, however, within reason. It must be remembered that fatty sour cream or an excess of this product negatively affects blood quality.
First Aid
Arrhythmia comes in attacks, unpredictable, makes a person completely helpless. If the attack for the first time is difficult, you need to call an ambulance. While waiting for the doctor, it is necessary to calm the patient, lay or seat so that it is comfortable. Sometimes it is necessary to provoke vomiting. After providing first aid, the doctor will prescribe a course of medications that are relevant for a particular case.
Feeling an arrhythmia in myself,you need to stop physical activity and give yourself rest. To calm down, you can take valerian, motherwort, a few drops of valocordin.
Drugs and rules
Prophylactic drug therapy is not required for bradycardia. For tachycardia, appoint:
- Sotaleks.
- "Allalinin".
- Cardaron.
Calcium antagonists, adrenoblockers will benefit.
You can use these drugs strictly under the supervision of your doctor. Incorrect use of medications with a high degree of probability can provoke severe complications for the cardiac and vascular systems, up to coma and death.
Danger of arrhythmia
Without adequate treatment, a violation of the rhythm of contraction of the heart muscle can cause thromboembolism or provoke acute heart failure. The poorer the rhythm, the worse the blood supply to the heart, and its ill he alth adversely affects the entire body, leading to tissue hypoxia in different parts of the body. Arrhythmia can cause the formation of blood clots in the heart, which means that the risk of blocking the lumen of the blood vessel increases. Against the background of such development, arrhythmia provokes:
- heart attack;
- stroke;
- angina;
- death.
Prevent trouble
Prevention of arrhythmia is a reasonable choice of diet, quitting smoking, alcohol, introduction to daily habits of physical activity. Doctors recommend:
- run in the evenings;
- dance, aerobics,shaping;
- go to fitness;
- swim.
You don't have to be an athlete to prevent arrhythmia, just exercise regularly for your own pleasure.
A he althy step would be to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, cereals in your diet. It is reasonable to reconsider the way of life, reduce the risk of conflict situations, nervous breakdowns.
