Causes of heart stumbles

The triggers are of various kinds. Stimulating, psychotropic substances such as nicotine, coffee or alcohol can also lead to the above-mentioned symptoms in addition to their other numerous effects. They can be caused by medication.

For example, certain thyroid medicines and hormone preparations can have a further negative effect on the heart, which is already sensitive to rhythm disturbances. Furthermore, potassium preparations are often recommended, since a so-called hypokalemia (the concentration of potassium in the blood is below normal) can also lead to heart stumbling or cardiac arrhythmia. Furthermore, heart stumbling is also one of the potential side effects of certain drugs, such as cardiac glycoside preparations, as well as some others.

In rare cases, these symptoms may be associated with serious heart disease, such as coronary artery disease (the coronary arteries can no longer supply the heart with sufficient blood) or inflammation of the heart muscle. Iron deficiency can be one of the causes of heart failure: iron, an important mineral for the body, is essential for the formation of red blood cells. A lack of this mineral leads to anaemia, which in turn leads to an undersupply of oxygen to the blood and the body, since the red blood cells are responsible for the transport of oxygen. The reduced transport capacity of the blood for oxygen is finally compensated by a faster beating of the heart and thus by a faster circulation of the blood in the circulatory system, which in turn can lead, among other things, to rhythm disturbances and noticeable heart stumbling.

How can I detect dangerous heart stumbling?

Not every felt heart stumble is equally dangerous, often it is a harmless extra beats, which have no disease value in otherwise healthy patients. Just because heart rhythm disturbances are felt as heart stumbles does not mean that they are also threatening in principle – whether and how strongly a heart stumble is felt can vary greatly from one individual to another: for one patient, pronounced rhythm disturbances are not noticeable, for another, even slight ones are noticeable as very unpleasant heart stumbles. However, if the heart stumbling is accompanied by other symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea or sweating, the person affected should become aware of this and consult a doctor, as there may be a dangerous effect on the cardiovascular system. If such accompanying symptoms occur, this can be a sign that the heart is no longer able to pump sufficiently and supply the rest of the body with blood, or that the heart itself is no longer supplied with sufficient blood.