Symptoms of cardiac dysrhythmia
The symptoms of cardiac arrhythmias can be as varied as there are different types of arrhythmias. As a rule, they occur with changes in the beat frequency >160/min and <40/min and with all beat irregularities that lead to disturbances in the cardiovascular system. In some cases they can occur completely without symptoms, so that the person affected does not feel any changes and the diagnosis is made by chance during routine examinations by the family doctor.
Often, however, rhythm disturbances are accompanied by more or less mild symptoms, so that otherwise heart-healthy persons notice the rhythm changes in the form of so-called palpitations: this is a palpable heart palpitations, stumbling or loud knocking, caused by extra beats, beat interruptions or short-term beat acceleration. Many affected persons even report that the irregular knocking is even felt down to the throat. Whenever the heart rhythm disturbances lead to disturbances in the blood supply of the body (e.g. slow rhythm disturbances or disturbances with stroke interruptions, so that the blood flow is (briefly) restricted), symptoms such as dizziness, disorientation, visual or speech disturbances, collapse or fainting states (syncope) can also occur – depending on the severity of the disturbance.
If the arrhythmias occur in patients who already have a damaged heart (heart failure), they can lead to a worsening of the heart condition. This is usually manifested by newly occurring or worsening shortness of breath, chest discomfort, heart pain (angina pectoris) or even fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary edema). Cardiac arrhythmias are generally frequent and often not life-threatening. It is always dangerous when an already damaged heart suffers from an additional arrhythmia or when there are such serious excitation conduction disorders that the blood ejection capacity of the heart is no longer sufficient. Such life-threatening excitation conduction disorders include ventricular flutter, ventricular fibrillation and 3rd degree AV block without a replacement rhythm.
Signs of a cardiac arrhythmia
Not every cardiac arrhythmia causes clear physical symptoms, so that in many cases they go unnoticed for a long time and are more likely to be discovered by chance during routine examinations. However, if they do lead to noticeable symptoms, the first signs of arrhythmia can be a feeling of a stumbling heart (palpitations, in the case of extra beats or short interruptions of beats), racing heart or palpitations (in the case of a fast heartbeat), which can sometimes be felt up to the throat. If the pumping function of the heart and thus the blood ejection is impaired by the dysrhythmia, dizziness, drowsiness, fainting or unconsciousness may also be signs.However, heart pain and a tightness in the chest (angina pectoris) can also be a sign of cardiac arrhythmia, and this is always the case when the heart can no longer be supplied with sufficient blood and oxygen due to the irregularities in the beat itself and is overloaded. and pressure in the thorax- What can be done?
