General information
High blood pressure (arterial hypertension) is often underestimated because it usually causes no symptoms at the beginning. However, patients who suffer from high blood pressure that is not treated or is insufficiently treated have an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia in addition to high blood pressure. High blood pressure and cardiac dysrhythmia are therefore a widespread and risky combination. In addition to a reduction in quality of life due to cardiac arrhythmias, they also increase the occurrence of other diseases and also the risk of death if no therapeutic steps are taken. Cardiac arrhythmias are due to structural changes in the heart, such as tissue enlargement of the left ventricle (left ventricular hypertrophy), which develop insidiously in the presence of untreated high blood pressure.
Blood pressure measurement in case of cardiac arrhythmia
If high blood pressure is present, the blood pressure must be checked regularly by self-measurements and by measurements in the doctor’s office. In the diagnostic phase of high blood pressure, measurements should be taken three times a day. If the diagnosis is established, a measurement once a day is sufficient.
If you already know that you suffer from cardiac arrhythmia due to high blood pressure, the blood pressure should generally be checked in a medical practice. Most blood pressure monitors measure the blood pressure oscillometrically. However, this type of measurement can lead to errors in the event of a cardiac arrhythmia, which is why stethoscopic measurement is preferable in a medical practice. In some cases, blood pressure can still be determined by self-measurement – in this case, however, the measurement should be taken several times at intervals of one minute and then the average of the measured values should be calculated.
Therapy for cardiac arrhythmia and high blood pressure
In the context of high blood pressure, a cardiac arrhythmia requires special consideration, as it can lead to further complications, such as a stroke. Above all, it is important to lower blood pressure, because this measure can stop structural changes in the heart and thus also reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmia. If a drug therapy to lower blood pressure is initiated, recent studies have shown that blocking the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is particularly effective.
Drugs that block the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. Some important active ingredients from the group of ACE inhibitors are Angiotensin receptor blockers are for example: If hypertension and cardiac arrhythmia are present at the same time, this does not necessarily mean that the cardiac arrhythmia must also be specifically treated with antiarrhythmic therapy, because this therapy paradoxically carries the risk of further cardiac arrhythmia. Thus, an antiarrhythmic therapy is only reserved for special cases.
- Captopril
- Enalapril
- Lisinopril and
- Ramipril
- Azilsartan
- Candesartan
- Losartan
- Olmesartan
- Valsartan
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. In many cases, existing high blood pressure is the cause of seizure-like atrial fibrillation (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation). Men have a 1.5-fold higher risk of developing this cardiac dysrhythmia than women, and a 1.4-fold higher risk of developing it.
It is estimated that 25-50% of people with high blood pressure also suffer from atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, which starts out as a seizure, can develop into permanent atrial fibrillation with increasing duration. The symptoms of atrial fibrillation vary greatly from person to person. Some patients do not feel any discomfort at all, while others complain of pronounced “heart stumbling”, a feeling of weakness or shortness of breath.
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