Causes and preventions of Palpitations
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009I have Palpitations
What is palpitation?
“Palpitations” are usually described as a “thumping,” “fluttering,” “racing,” and often as “skipped beats,” when describing the pulse or the heart beat.They’re usually described by physicians as premature ventricular or atrial contractions.
PVCs
PVCs are “premature ventricular contractions.” They are “extra beats,” originating somewhere in the ventricles, whereas the normal heartbeat originates in the sinoauricular (SA) node of the atria.In 90 percent of cases these extra beats are not dangerous and have no special significance.
Is it dangerous?
A number of large, long-term studies have been done on people with premature contractions indicating their harmlessness.They may be caused by anxiety, by loss of, or lack of sleep, by smoking, alcohol, and especially the use of caffeine and other stimulating drugs. Much of the time, they are simply termed “idiopathic;” i.e., without any known cause.
Management
Treatment involves correcting any of the known causes; after that, there is not really much that can be done. Vigorous exercise may abolish them.
Atrial fibrillation
Occurs when the heartbeat becomes quite chaotic in the atria or upper chambers of the heart; impulses are transmitted very irregularly to the ventricles or lower chambers, so that the heartbeat is very irregular and oftentimes quite rapid. Atrial fibrillation may be either paroxysmal, in which case it comes and goes, or else it may be sustained. Persons with atrial fibrillation should be under the care of a physician.