Arrhythmias are a group of problems that affect the heart rhythm and modify the cadence of the heartbeat. These alterations can be very different. For example, altered heartbeats can make them arrhythmic, instead of regular. But it is also the case that the heart does not beat with the cadence it should and that it does do so rhythmically, but very slowly or very quickly.
All these alterations make up the group of arrhythmias, pathologies that are quite common in the population. In short, an arrhythmia is considered when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. The heart rate is divided into two constant but distinct phases: diastole (when the heart muscle relaxes and the cavity fills with blood), and systole (the muscle contracts and pushes blood into the bloodstream, causing it to flow). maintain blood flow and blood pressure).
This process is constant and shows a regular and rhythmic activity, which is governed by an electrical system. When this system is altered, heart rhythm disorders, also called arrhythmias, arise. There are two large groups of arrhythmias, slow ones or bradyarrhythmias and fast ones or tachyarrhythmias. Premature heartbeats or extrasystoles are also arrhythmias. And they can be classified by their repetition over time: chronic (permanent) and occasional.
It is very common for anyone to have had to face a situation in which their heart beats too fast. When this happens, we will probably think that it is tachycardia, but this is not always the case. Tachycardia is another type of arrhythmia, probably the most common, and it occurs as our body’s response to a specific situation. Normally, tachycardia does not have to mean a serious problem, but it is advisable to go to the doctor so that he can rule out any situation that could become complicated.
When the rhythm is much faster than usual, the arrhythmia is called tachycardia. When the opposite happens and the heartbeat is slow, we are talking about bradycardia. A rhythm that is neither too high nor too low, but irregular, may also occur. Arrhythmias are, in most cases, physiological responses of our body to special situations and this has allowed us to experience tachycardia at various times in life: for example, after a sudden effort such as climbing stairs quickly, doing a sprint. during a running session or simply when we have had a scare. On the contrary, there are athletes who are used to being bradycardic, so they make great efforts frequently and maintain a very slow heart rate.
All these common situations do not usually lead us to think about a health problem because we understand that it is the activation of totally normal body mechanisms. But there are times when arrhythmias occur for other reasons. One of the reasons that is repeated is stress and anxiety. People subjected to extreme mental situations often have tachycardia periodically. Apart from these mental problems, there are also physical causes associated with diseases. A clear case is that of pathologies related to the thyroid. It is something very common. Thyroid disease generally causes stimulation of the heart and causes tachycardia.
The duration of arrhythmias is highly variable and depends on each person. There are arrhythmias that are distinguished by maintaining an accelerated heart rate throughout the day. In other cases, the dysfunction also occurs daily, but only for a few minutes. It is important to know the causes of arrhythmias. To do this, it is best to consult a doctor, although we must be attentive to discover signs that anticipate the arrival of possible health problems. For example, it is an indicator that something is not working well if arrhythmias occur without apparent cause. Having tachycardias that appear and disappear suddenly is a fact that is announcing possible complications.
Obviously, we must be alert if, along with tachycardia or some other type of arrhythmia, we observe additional symptoms such as loss of consciousness and chest pain. We can also experience dizziness and even syncope (loss of consciousness due to decreased cerebral flow). If the condition includes a close family history of heart disease, there is no need to delay going to the doctor. And if the patient has had a heart attack in the past and feels palpitations, it is clear that she must visit the doctor urgently. Syncope is not usually caused by arrhythmias, but when it is, it is usually a serious health problem.
Arrhythmias are caused by a failure in the electrical system of the heart rhythm. There are three reasons why this happens: when one of the electrical mechanisms does not work due to lack of generation of the electrical impulse, because the electrical impulse originates in an incorrect place or because the pathways for electrical conduction have caused a short circuit.
To find out the details of tachycardia, the electrocardiogram is the first instrument used, but it does not always shed much light on the problem because when the test is performed, the heart will most likely have a normal rhythm. That is why it is so common to use Holter monitoring with patients, a device with electrodes that must be worn for 24 hours and that records all the activity of the heart. The Internet of Things (IoT) is helping to make this task a little easier, as smart watches can collect a lot of information about your heartbeat.
In general, arrhythmias can be cured. Depending on the causes, the specific treatment is applied for each case. Many times you have to go to the source and treat the initial illness, as in the case of anxiety. If the origin is found in the heart itself, another type of treatment must be applied, usually ablative methods. The most common consists of inserting a catheter at the exact point in the heart and burning it. In the case of some specific arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, oral anticoagulants are prescribed to the patient to prevent them from leading to cerebrovascular accidents.
