Heart arrhythmia is a fairly common disease, ignoring which can lead to the worst consequences. The essence of the disease is that the work of the main human organ, the rhythm of its contractions, is disrupted. A separate form is sinus arrhythmia of the heart, which is considered normal and safe within certain limits. Treatment can be varied. It depends on the form and stage of the disease. In any case, when the first signs of it are found, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Reasons
A variety of factors can provoke an arrhythmia. The most common include diseases that are directly related to the work of the heart. These are diseases of the brain, circulatory and cardiovascular systems, myocardial disorders, problems of the thyroid gland and adrenal glands. Cardiac arrhythmia, the causes and symptoms of which may appear duringinfectious diseases or during the climatic period, requires immediate examination and treatment. The basis for the development of the disease can also be violations of a he althy lifestyle: lack of vitamins, overweight, drinking alcohol and smoking, stress and excessive stress, both emotional and physical.
Symptoms
The presence of such a disease immediately makes itself felt, so it is not difficult to identify it. Cardiac arrhythmia, the causes and symptoms of which indicate problems of a different nature, may be accompanied by weakness and pain in the heart and chest. They sometimes give to the left hand. Patients may have the impression that the heart is not beating. Sometimes, with a diagnosis of "cardiac arrhythmia", patient reviews state the appearance of dry mouth, cough, dizziness, shortness of breath, fever, fainting.
Types of diseases
Depending on the nature of the arrhythmia, they are divided into several types, which differ in symptoms and treatment methods. If the heart rate decreases sharply, then we can talk about the development of bradycardia. Increased heart rate indicates tachycardia. If extraordinary contractions occur and their number gradually increases, then these are symptoms of extrasystole. With atrial fibrillation, heart contractions are uneven. Slowdown and cessation of impulse passages through the structure of the myocardium indicates the presence of heart blocks. This is a very dangerous condition, as the pulse may not be felt at all. They also distinguish sinus arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation and atrial flutter.
Extrasystole
Extrasystoles are contractions of the heart that are produced prematurely. The source of their electrical impulse is not in the sinus node. Arrhythmia of this nature can accompany any heart disease, but in most cases it is impossible to establish a connection with it. Often among these ailments are vegetative and psycho-emotional disorders, smoking, drug treatment. Patients do not feel extrasystoles, which can lead to heart failure.
It is believed that gastric extrasystoles are the most unpleasant and dangerous. They can cause ventricular fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation
Another name for this type is atrial fibrillation. It develops as a complication of disturbances in the normal rhythm of the heart. This is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders. Among the causes of the development of the disease, it is worth highlighting problems with the thyroid gland. Symptoms of atrial fibrillation are not very different from other types of the disease. The patient is often disturbed by fainting, darkening of the eyes, a feeling of fear, chest pain, lack of air.
The nature of arrhythmia can be different - from a short attack lasting a few minutes to a protracted condition, which is measured for days. In the first case, it is not necessary to use drugs or other medical measures, but in the second, medical intervention is no longer enough.
Atrial flutter
The heart rate during atrial flutter canreach 400 per minute. The problem rarely occurs on its own. Most often, the violation is associated with other cardiac dysfunctions. The causes of atrial flutter are organic heart disease, prior coronary artery bypass grafting, or surgery. The clinical picture of the pathology is characterized by a sharp increase in the frequency of heart contractions, a violation of its rhythm, general weakness, and low blood pressure. The patient on this background often loses consciousness and faints. Often there are cases when atrial flutter turns into fibrillation.
Supraventricular tachycardia
This pathology is known under another name - atrial tachycardia. The disease develops in a small area of atrial tissue. Over time, the whole heart becomes inflamed and the natural rhythm is disturbed. The presence of this disease implies a periodic acceleration of the heart rate, not caused by exercise, fever or stress. Symptoms in each case may be different. In some patients, the disease may not manifest itself in any way or manifest itself only by an increase in pulsation. In other cases, dizziness, fainting, sweating, pain or pressure in the chest, fatigue, frequent urination are observed.
Ventricular tachycardia
The essence of the pathology is that it causes an acceleration of the heart rate, which comes from the ventricles. At a rate of up to 200 beats per minute, the heart cannot properly fill with blood. As a result, blood is pushed into the body by smallerportions. This type of arrhythmia is especially difficult in those patients who already suffer from other heart diseases.
Ventricular tachycardia is divided into persistent and unstable. In the first case, there is a decrease in the frequency of pulsation and a decrease in blood pressure. Also, patients may suffer from excessive sweating, impaired consciousness. If symptoms of this type of arrhythmia are detected, qualified assistance is needed. After all, this threatens spontaneous circulatory arrest. Such arrhythmia of the heart, the causes and symptoms of which are not pronounced, is detected only during ECG monitoring.
Ventricular fibrillation
The disease involves a disorganized flow of impulses from the ventricles in a continuous manner, which causes ventricular flutter. As a result, the pumping of blood through the body is complicated, which requires immediate resuscitation in the cardiopulmonary department. The condition is very dangerous because if you do not help a person within 10 minutes, it can be fatal. The blood supply to the body does not occur, while the heart contracts at a frequency of 300 beats per minute. Symptoms of the pathology may resemble a picture of clinical death, namely the absence of breathing and pulse, dilated pupils, loss of consciousness, the appearance of convulsions, blueness of the skin.
Sinus arrhythmia symptoms
This cardiac arrhythmia, whose causes and symptoms are similar to those of a normal disorder, is due to abnormal sinus rhythm. This type of disease is characterized by irregularity and unevengeneration of an impulse in the nerve ganglion. The disease can be detected without difficulty, since at the first stage there is a fainting or pre-fainting state, dizziness, sudden and prolonged fatigue. Symptoms appear with sudden and long pauses between contractions. The reason for the occurrence of such pauses lies in the blockade of sinus impulses and the impossibility of passing through the tissues. In some cases, sinus arrhythmia may be accompanied by blackouts, sudden fainting, sudden shortness of breath, fast or too slow heartbeat, chest pain.
Symptoms of heart block
The reason for this variant of arrhythmia is the slowdown in the processes of impulse conduction. Blockades are manifested in the intraventricular form, in the atrioventricular and sinoatrial. Degrees of blockade are from I to III. Their nature may be persistent or transient. Blockades can be caused by the use of certain medications, myocarditis, cardiosclerosis, myocardial infarction. Very rarely in practice there is a congenital variant of this pathology. Symptoms of the blockade include the appearance of convulsions and fainting. As a result, the disease can cause heart failure, angina, or sudden death.
Treatment and prevention
If a person is found to have an arrhythmia of the heart, treatment, medication or hospitalization is simply necessary, as the consequences can be the worst. Actions should be primarily aimed at reducing symptoms and controllingroot cause. When a patient is diagnosed with such a serious disease as cardiac arrhythmia, the symptoms, treatment and behavior of the patient must fully correspond to each other and work in combination. To overcome the disease as effectively as possible, you need to give up bad habits, avoid stress, eat rationally, and lead a he althy lifestyle. It is strongly not recommended to overload yourself with physical work, because this is also a strong burden on the heart.
Medicated treatment
In the case of a patient being diagnosed with "cardiac arrhythmia", what to take him is probably the most common question. First, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe treatment depending on the type of pathology and the severity of the condition. As a rule, the first steps should be lifestyle changes, drug therapy or surgical procedures. As for drugs, in most cases antiarrhythmic drugs are prescribed. In order not to face the dire consequences that cardiac arrhythmia can cause, treatment, drugs or surgery must be undertaken without delay. To avoid stroke due to blood clots, anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs should be taken.
Other treatments
With the development of the disease "cardiac arrhythmia" treatment, drugs and drugs may be ineffective. In cases where medications are unable to eliminate the problem, theycardioversion. The essence of the procedure is that a temporary anesthetic is injected into the chest, and then an electric current is directed to this area. As a result, the work of the heart is synchronized, an adequate heart rhythm is restored. Some forms of the disease are treated with an cardioverter defibrillator, which is implanted to monitor and support the heart muscle.
Surgery can be used to address the underlying cause of the arrhythmia. The operation is performed on the labyrinth, when sections are cut along the left and right atria. Sometimes a pacemaker is implanted after surgery.
In case of suspicion of the development of any kind of ailment "cardiac arrhythmia", prevention will help to avoid possible consequences and to carry out treatment more effectively. Each individual case of the disease requires a thorough examination, proper diagnosis and adequate treatment, therefore, if characteristic symptoms occur, you should immediately consult a doctor.
