How Common are Heart Arrhythmias?
The average human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times in a 70-year lifetime.
In a normal, healthy heart, this comes out to between 60-100 beats a minute. But certain factors, including lifestyle, genetics and thyroid conditions, can cause your heart to either beat too quickly, or too slowly. This is called an arrhythmia, and while some heart arrhythmias may be harmless, some may be bothersome, or even life-threatening.
Is That Flutter in My Chest Serious?
Some heart arrhythmias are barely noticeable, and in fact, a doctor may catch one during an examination before you even knew you had one. But there are several noticeable symptoms to be aware of, including:
- A fluttering in your chest
- A “skipped” heartbeat
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness / dizziness
- Pounding heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
Causes of a heart arrhythmia
What causes a heart arrhythmia? A lot of factors come in to play. These include:
- Diabetes
- Drug abuse
- Excessive alcohol or caffeine intake
- Genetics
- High blood pressure
- Scarring of heart tissue from a prior heart attack
- Sleep apnea
- Smoking
- Stress
- Under / overactive thyroid gland
When to seek help
Most arrhythmias are harmless and usually left untreated. Your doctor will ask questions to determine whether your arrhythmia causes symptoms that put you at risk for more serious arrhythmias or complications of arrhythmias in the future.
If your doctor determines your arrhythmia is either abnormal, or significant, they’ll set up a treatment plan to prevent blood clots from forming, control your heart rate, treat any conditions that may be causing the arrhythmia and reduce other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Take care of your heart. Complete a free, online assessment that will help determine if you are at risk for heart disease. Spectrum Health Lakeland is committed to reducing the incidence of cardiac and vascular disease in our community and improving outcomes for those affected through prevention, risk awareness, education, rapid treatment and rehabilitation. Find a cardiologist HERE
Oct 3, 2019 Reporting from Niles, MI
Heart Arrhythmias
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/health-wellness/ask-the-experts/ask-the-experts/2019/10/03/heart-arrhythmias
Oct 3, 2019
Oct 3, 2019
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
How Common are Heart Arrhythmias?
The average human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times in a 70-year lifetime.
In a normal, healthy heart, this comes out to between 60-100 beats a minute. But certain factors, including lifestyle, genetics and thyroid conditions, can cause your heart to either b
Heart Arrhythmias
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
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