The appearance of symptoms of tachycardia does not always indicate heart rhythm disturbances, and therefore a deterioration in he alth. However, any failure in the functioning of the cardiovascular system requires closer attention.
The cause of tachycardia, which is manifested by an increase in heart rate, in the predominant number of cases is heart disease. With this pathology, the number of heartbeats exceeds 90 beats per minute. You will learn about what to do with tachycardia and how to recognize its first signs in this article.
Against the background of what arises
As is known from the school anatomy course, the sinus node sets the correct rhythm of the heart muscle. With an increase in the degree of its automatism, deviations develop, which are called one common word - arrhythmia. Tachycardia is one of the varieties of this disorder.
By the way, an accelerated heartbeat is not in all cases due to pathological causes. Even a he althy person can feel tachycardia in certain situations, for example:
- with an increase in the level of adrenaline in the blood;
- due to factors causingactivation of nervous activity (stress, excessive physical activity, sports, psycho-emotional arousal);
- in case of weather changes (sudden temperature fluctuations, summer heat, severe frost);
- due to taking drugs that stimulate the cardiovascular system;
- against the background of drinking coffee and alcoholic beverages;
- with a sudden change in body position.
Of course, these cases do not require medical correction. Normally, heart rhythm disturbances disappear without the use of any drugs, as soon as exposure to provoking factors stops.
Interestingly, in childhood (up to 7 years), rapid heartbeat is also considered a variant of the norm. However, it may also indicate the development of deviations. In adolescents, tachycardia can develop against the background of hormonal changes caused by puberty. For similar reasons, an accelerated heart rate may occur in menopausal women.
Pathological factors
The next group of causes that cause tachycardia include endocrine system disorders. One of the most dangerous is pheochromocytoma (a hormone-dependent tumor of a benign or malignant nature) and thyrotoxicosis, leading to an increase in the thyroid gland.
More common factors provoking tachycardia attacks are acute vascular insufficiency, severe pain shock or pain syndrome. Can also affect the heartbeatintoxication, which appears in a person under the influence of toxic decay products of dead cells of the body against the background of elevated body temperature. Signs of cardiac arrhythmia are common in people who suffer from infectious and inflammatory diseases, especially:
- flu;
- angina;
- pneumonia;
- salmonellosis;
- staph infection.
It is worth noting a certain pattern: the higher the temperature of a person's body, the more often his heart muscle will contract. On average, in children with an increase in the index by 1 °, the heart begins to beat faster by 10-15 beats per minute, which indicates tachycardia. In adults, the heart rate becomes higher by 8-9 beats per minute.
All of the above reasons for the occurrence of tachycardia occur predominantly in people with a he althy heart. As statistics show, most of the diagnosed arrhythmias that are not associated with abnormalities of the cardiovascular system are due to neurogenic factors and impaired brain activity, disorders in the functioning of the central and peripheral nervous system. An upward change in heart rate worries patients suffering from:
- an affective form of psychosis;
- neurosis of varying severity;
- dystonia (especially neurocirculatory).
Such problems often overtake young people, although these factors can provoke arrhythmias in adulthood and in old age.
What substances cause arrhythmias
Influence the work of the mainThe "motor" in our body is capable of some chemical compounds and medications. Among them:
- artificial analogues of the human hormone adrenaline;
- thyroid-stimulating glucocorticoid drugs;
- bronchodilators;
- steroid drugs;
- anticholinergic plant atropine.
Heart disease
A tachycardia attack can be triggered by factors that can be divided into two categories - intracardiac and extracardiac. Heart palpitations such as:
- infective endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining);
- arterial hypertension (especially in hypertensive crisis);
- acute or chronic heart failure;
- intrauterine or rheumatic defects;
- various forms of cardiomyopathy;
- ischemic heart disease;
- cardiosclerosis;
- adhesive and exudative pericarditis;
- postponed myocardial infarction.
How it manifests
The symptoms of tachycardia in patients can be completely different, due to the pathogenesis, the form of the pathology, the individual pain threshold and many other conditions. At the same time, it is worth noting the common features that appear with arrhythmia of any type:
- increased heart rate;
- feeling a heartbeat;
- pronounced pulsation of blood vessels in the face and neck;
- worry and anxiety;
- dizziness;
- heavy oppressed breathing, shortness of breath.
These signs are also characteristic of physiological tachycardia, which appears as a response of the heart rate to natural provoking factors. Such a condition should not cause concern, it passes on its own when the underlying cause is eliminated.
Varieties of heart rhythm disorders
Sinus tachycardia rarely occurs with complicated symptoms in the form of syncope and pre-syncope, which cannot be said about the ectopic form of the disease. More often doctors call it paroxysmal. The same name was given to her in ICD-10. Paroxysmal tachycardia (code I47) is characterized by the fact that the rhythm generator is located in the atrium or in the ventricle. Unlike the sinus form, the ectopic form has a number of specific features. First of all, it should be noted the unreasonably arising and disappearing seizures, which are called paroxysms (the disease got its name from them). Each attack can last from one moment to several minutes. In severe paroxysmal tachycardia, the onset of symptoms may be delayed for several days.
Patients with this diagnosis have a consistently high heart rate throughout the attack. Unlike paroxysmal, sinus tachycardia declares itself differently:
- Never develops at lightning speed. Deviations are noticed by patients not at once.
- The maximum increase in heart rate can reach 120 beats per minute.
- Correct sinus rhythmsaved.
- The patient has a feeling of lack of air on the background of shortness of breath.
- Weakness, slight malaise, dizziness, fatigue occur.
Those forms of tachycardia that are caused by diseases of the heart or internal organs can adversely affect the prognosis of the patient's life and lead to serious complications, one of which is heart failure. With this disease, the volume of blood ejection is significantly reduced, which causes a malfunction in the circulatory system. Together with an increase in myocardial contractions, the level of ventricular filling with blood decreases significantly, and as a result, cardiac output decreases, hypotension (low blood pressure) develops. The consequence of this violation is the deterioration of blood circulation, which inevitably leads to poor-quality trophism of the tissues of the brain and internal organs.
Speaking about the dangers of tachycardia, one cannot fail to mention the contractile function of the myocardium. Against the background of a long-term violation of the heart rhythm, the efficiency of the heart muscle decreases, and the volumes of the atria and ventricles increase. The result of this problem can be arrhythmogenic cardiopathy, which is a real threat to human life.
Rhythm disturbances at low pressure can speak of serious disorders of cardiac activity. Tachycardia in this case is often an additional symptom of poisoning, intense bleeding, severe pain. For low blood pressurespecific clinical signs. Consequently, the symptoms of tachycardia may be supplemented by nausea, dizziness, migraine, ripples and "flies" before the eyes, hand tremor.
Different types of disease appear with or without the indicated symptoms. In addition, the symptoms of tachycardia can be pronounced or be more blurred. With the described clinical picture, another disease, angina pectoris, can also be diagnosed. This deviation in heart rate is often paroxysmal in nature. One way or another, if any symptoms of arrhythmia appear, it is urgent to contact a cardiologist and undergo an examination.
Diagnostic Methods
The question of why tachycardia is dangerous can be answered without much difficulty, remembering the complications to which it can lead. If a person has tangible changes in the work of the heart, associated with a rapid heartbeat, the first thing he needs to do is visit a specialist and undergo electrocardiography. This is a well-known, familiar diagnostic procedure that can be performed in any outpatient medical institution. The conclusion of the ECG allows the doctor to assess the frequency and rhythm of heart contractions.
In the case of paroxysmal tachycardia of a moderate type, they resort to the method of daily monitoring, or, as it is also called, the Holter ECG. To completely exclude the presence of heart disease and abnormalities in a patient, an echocardiography method is used, which is in many ways similar to ultrasound. This is a non-invasive informative procedure that allowsdefine:
- camera dimensions;
- wall thickness and myocardial contractility;
- localization of sites that work with deviations;
- valve problems.
In case of congenital malformations, magnetic resonance imaging is prescribed.
In tachycardia, invasive diagnostic methods are also used, one of which is an electrophysiological study. The procedure is applied in the presence of certain indications. Most often, it is resorted to before operating patients with arrhythmia. This type of diagnostics provides an opportunity to obtain a detailed assessment of the transmission of an impulse and its passage through the myocardium, to determine the mechanism for the occurrence of heart palpitations, and features of a violation of the conduction of the heart muscle.
In addition to instrumental studies, laboratory procedures are mandatory for patients with this diagnosis:
- complete blood count;
- blood test for hormones.
To establish disorders in the activity of the nervous system, the patient needs to undergo electroencephalography.
How to treat with medicines
Given the likely consequences of tachycardia, it is undesirable to neglect the treatment of this disorder. To overcome this pathological manifestation, it is necessary to first eliminate the provoking factor. For example:
- With arrhythmia of a neurogenic nature, the patient needs to take sedatives, tranquilizers, neuroleptics, a course of classes with a psychotherapist.
- If the cause of tachycardia was thyrotoxicosis oranemia, you can not do without consulting an endocrinologist and a therapist. As a rule, drug correction involves taking hormonal drugs or β-blockers (Amiodarone, Dronedarone, Sotalol). If they are contraindicated, the patient is advised to drink calcium antagonists.
- In case of chronic heart failure, glycosides are required in combination with β-blockers. If such drugs for tachycardia do not produce the expected effect, therapy is supplemented with arrhythmic drugs (Propafenone, Kordaron, Disopyramide, Mexiletin, Quinidine, Procainamide, Flecainide).
If the pressure is reduced, the patient is prescribed drugs that have a lasting effect:
- "Concor". Stabilizes the activity of the nervous system, leads to a reduction in muscle spasms.
- "Atenol". Eliminates various types of excitability, anxiety and fear.
Surgery
In isolated cases, doctors recommend surgical treatment of tachycardia. Among the newest ways to deal with disorders in the work of the heart muscle, radiofrequency exposure to a weakened area of \u200b\u200bthe myocardium is often used. The method, which is called radiofrequency ablation, is invasive and its principle is as follows:
- A flexible catheter is inserted into the heart through a blood vessel, through which a radio frequency pulse is transmitted.
- The signal affects the area, the malfunction of which causes a deviation in the rhythm of the heartbeat.
Besides radio frequencies,cardiac surgeons often lean in favor of the choice of treatment with heat and cold. In addition, to prevent the dangerous consequences of tachycardia, a decision may be made to install a pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator. Both devices are implanted under the skin. They give a signal when the heart rhythm goes out of the norm, and due to this impulse, the work of the myocardium stabilizes. A cardioverter-defibrillator is needed if tachycardia attacks are repeated frequently and pose a real threat to the patient's life.
Is it possible to use folk remedies
The modern pharmaceutical market is full of drugs to combat arrhythmia of any form. Meanwhile, many of the drugs can have side effects, adversely affecting the he alth of the patient. Often, folk remedies become an addition to traditional conservative therapy. Treatment of tachycardia with their help allows you to achieve a more stable result without negative consequences. But, despite the naturalness of the components used, folk recipes cannot be used without the recommendation of a doctor. Some of them are simple and consist of one or two ingredients, others are more complex, meanwhile, all of them can be useful. You can use them in the absence of contraindications, allergies, individual intolerance.
Hawthorn
This is one of the most popular folk remedies for tachycardia. Hawthorn fruits have long been known for their value for the heart muscle. It is necessary to use the berries of this plant in the form of a decoction. The drink is drunk regularly, until complete recovery. It is prepared like this:
- For 1 tbsp. l. berries (they can be used even frozen) use a glass of water.
- The container is put on fire and covered with a lid, brought to a boil.
- It takes 15-20 minutes to boil the decoction.
- The cooled and strained drink is ready to drink. Take twice a day, a glass before meals.
Natural honey
This folk remedy in the treatment of tachycardia can only be used if there is no allergy to the bee product. It is highly effective and extremely useful for the cardiovascular system due to the content of vitamins and a number of essential trace elements. When preparing homemade medicine, you must not deviate from the algorithm below:
- Mind 10 lemons through a meat grinder.
- Add about 10 cloves of garlic to citrus fruits, after peeling and chopping them.
- Pour 1 liter of honey into the resulting mixture, mix everything thoroughly.
- Set the composition aside in a dark place for 3-5 days.
- You need to take the remedy for 2 tbsp. l. once a day.
Calming Herbal Collection
Moderate tachycardia is effectively treated with various herbal teas that help strengthen the nervous system. The following recipe has a lot of positive feedback from patients and doctors:
- In equal proportions, chamomile flowers and valerian root are mixed.
- Then add the same amount of cumin and fennel seeds.
- Onone tablespoon of raw materials requires 250 ml of boiling water.
- Phytocollection should be infused for an hour, after which it is necessary to strain it through gauze and drink without sweetening.
- Use in the evening before bed for 2-3 weeks.
Prevention of tachycardia
The best way to prevent heart disease and arrhythmia is to undergo an annual diagnosis and see a doctor when the first alarming symptoms appear. As a drug prevention of tachycardia, the doctor may prescribe a course of an antiarrhythmic drug.
Of particular importance in the prevention of tachycardia are:
- Daily exercise. Not to be confused with burdensome exhausting physical activity.
- Regular exposure to fresh air.
- Avoid stressful situations, psycho-emotional upheavals, experiences.
- A balanced diet consisting mainly of plant fiber, calcium and magnesium foods.
- Controlling your own weight. Any upward deviations lead to an increase in the load on the cardiovascular system.
- Continuous screening of body cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Total abstinence from alcoholic, energy and caffeinated drinks.
You can provoke tachycardia by self-medication, that is, by taking drugs used at the discretion of the patient, and not on the recommendation of a doctor. Therefore, do not neglect qualified medical assistance andin case of malaise, the manifestation of new incomprehensible symptoms, be sure to consult a specialist.
