Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesHow They FeelCausesDetecting OneTreatment OptionsSeverityPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
How They Feel
Causes
Detecting One
Treatment Options
Severity
Prevention
An abnormal heart rhythm, orarrhythmia(also referred to as an irregular heartbeat), is a condition in which your heart beats too fast (at more than 100 beats per minute, or BPM), too slowly (at less than 60 BPM), or irregularly.
Your heart relies on its own electrical system to pump blood throughout your body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to every organ and cell. When this system is disrupted, it results in an abnormal heart rhythm, which can cause various symptoms or, in some cases, no symptoms at all.
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Types of Abnormal Heart Rhythms
Tachycardia
Tachycardiais a heart rate that’s too fast—a resting heart rate of over 100 BPM. The normal range for heart rates is between 60 and 100 BPM. When your heart rate is too fast, it prevents thechambersinside the heart from filling up with blood in between beats. If this happens too frequently, it can negatively affect blood flow.
Bradycardia
Bradycardiais a slow heartbeat of less than 60 BPM. Children, older adults, and athletes may have slow resting heart rates that do not require medical attention. Concerning causes of bradycardia include problems with the heart’s electrical signal, such assick sinus syndrome. In this disorder, the sinus node (the heart’s natural pacemaker) does not trigger every heartbeat.
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (A-fib) occurs when the heart’s upper chambers (the atria) beat irregularly, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood out. Leftover blood pools in the atria, leading to clots and increasing the risk of stroke and heart failure.
Atrial Flutter
Atrial flutter occurs when the heart’s electrical signals fire too fast, causing a rapid heart rate that can increase to over 300 BPM. The pattern can be regular or irregular.
Ventricular Fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation occurs when electrical signals cause the heart’s ventricles (lower chambers that help pump blood) to convulse instead of pumping. If not enough blood and oxygen move through the body,cardiac arrestcan happen quickly.
Premature Contractions
Premature contractions occur when your heart does an extra beat. It can feel like a skipped beat. Premature contractions can sometimes happen in normal-functioning hearts. If you feel it happening often, see a healthcare provider.
What Does It Feel Like?
Abnormal heart rhythms do not always cause noticeable symptoms. Sometimes, they cause symptoms that are too mild to notice. When they do cause noticeable symptoms, they could include the following:
What Causes Abnormal Heart Rhythm?
High Blood Pressure
Having uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) for a long time is a risk factor for an abnormal heart rhythm.High blood pressure occurs when the force of the blood moving through your arteries is very high, damaging your heart and increasing your chance of developing an abnormal heart rhythm.
Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease happens when the arteries leading to and from your heart harden from a buildup of cholesterol and plaque. Less blood flows through the arteries, making your heart work much harder. Over time, the heart muscle weakens, causing abnormal heart rhythms.
Heart Conditions or Damage to the Heart
A heart arrhythmia can arise from a heart condition present at birth or damage to the heart from long-term disease. Heart disease or damage can affect the heart’s electrical system, leading to an irregular heartbeat.
Medications
Paradoxically, some antiarrhythmic drugs designed to treat abnormal heart rhythms can sometimes induce them. This phenomenon is known asproarrhythmia. Drugs such as Pacerone (amiodarone), flecainide, and Verelan (verapamil) (used to controlanginaor high blood pressure) alter the electronic activity of the heart to treat arrhythmic conditions but can also cause new or more severe abnormal heart rhythms.
Anxiety or Emotional Distress
Illness or Fever
An elevated body temperature can increase your heart’s electrical activity, potentially leading to an abnormal heart rhythm. Fevers can cause electrolyte imbalances and increase sympathetic nervous system activity, increasing the risk for arrhythmia.
The risk factors for abnormal heart rhythms include:
How Do You Know If You Have an Abnormal Heart Rhythm?
Diagnosing abnormal heart rhythms involves several methods. The most common is a physical examination and an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which shows a snapshot of the heart’s electrical activity. Other diagnostic tests include:
A healthcare provider may prescribe you one or more of the following medications to help manage an abnormal heart rhythm:
Surgical Procedures
Some people may require surgical procedures to treat an abnormal heart rhythm:
Implants
In some instances, you may require ongoing support, in which case a healthcare provider will recommend an implanted device, such as the following:
Is an Irregular Heartbeat Serious?
The long-term outlook for people with irregular heartbeats varies depending on the condition’s type, severity, and effectiveness of the treatment. Medications, lifestyle changes, implants, or procedures can give many people an excellent quality of life.
But for some who have conditions that are resistant to treatment or are undiagnosed, the risk of complications such as stroke, heart failure, or cardiac arrest is high. It is crucial to have regular follow-ups with your healthcare provider to monitor treatment.
How to Prevent It
In addition to medications, implants, and surgical procedures as treatment options, lifestyle changes are also necessary to manage or prevent abnormal heart rhythms. They include:
Summary
Abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmia (also called irregular heartbeats), occur when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or irregularly, disrupting its normal function. They can be asymptomatic or cause noticeable symptoms, such as palpitations, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
With proper treatment and management, most people with arrhythmia can lead full, active lives. If you experience symptoms of an abnormal heart rhythm, seek immediate medical attention.
20 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.What is an arrhythmia?MedlinePlus.ArrhythmiaNational Institutes of Health.How the heart works.American Heart Association.Tachycardia.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bradycardia.American Heart Association.What is atrial fibrillation?American Heart Association.Other heart arrhythmias.National Institutes of Health.Arrhythmias.American Heart Association.Premature contractions.American Heart Association.High blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and your risk for stroke.American Heart Association.What is high blood pressure?MedlinePlus.Coronary artery disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Arrhythmia.Tisdale JE, Chung MK, Campbell KB, et al.Drug-induced arrhythmias: a scientific statement from the american heart association.Circulation. 2020;142(15). doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000905Harvard Health Publishing.Calm your anxious heart.Harvard Health Publishing.Tachycardia.American Heart Association.Understand your risk for arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Common tests for arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of arrhythmia.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.What is an arrhythmia?MedlinePlus.ArrhythmiaNational Institutes of Health.How the heart works.American Heart Association.Tachycardia.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bradycardia.American Heart Association.What is atrial fibrillation?American Heart Association.Other heart arrhythmias.National Institutes of Health.Arrhythmias.American Heart Association.Premature contractions.American Heart Association.High blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and your risk for stroke.American Heart Association.What is high blood pressure?MedlinePlus.Coronary artery disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Arrhythmia.Tisdale JE, Chung MK, Campbell KB, et al.Drug-induced arrhythmias: a scientific statement from the american heart association.Circulation. 2020;142(15). doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000905Harvard Health Publishing.Calm your anxious heart.Harvard Health Publishing.Tachycardia.American Heart Association.Understand your risk for arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Common tests for arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of arrhythmia.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.What is an arrhythmia?MedlinePlus.ArrhythmiaNational Institutes of Health.How the heart works.American Heart Association.Tachycardia.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bradycardia.American Heart Association.What is atrial fibrillation?American Heart Association.Other heart arrhythmias.National Institutes of Health.Arrhythmias.American Heart Association.Premature contractions.American Heart Association.High blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and your risk for stroke.American Heart Association.What is high blood pressure?MedlinePlus.Coronary artery disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Arrhythmia.Tisdale JE, Chung MK, Campbell KB, et al.Drug-induced arrhythmias: a scientific statement from the american heart association.Circulation. 2020;142(15). doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000905Harvard Health Publishing.Calm your anxious heart.Harvard Health Publishing.Tachycardia.American Heart Association.Understand your risk for arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Common tests for arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Arrhythmia.American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of arrhythmia.
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American Heart Association.High blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and your risk for stroke.
American Heart Association.What is high blood pressure?
MedlinePlus.Coronary artery disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Arrhythmia.
Tisdale JE, Chung MK, Campbell KB, et al.Drug-induced arrhythmias: a scientific statement from the american heart association.Circulation. 2020;142(15). doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000905
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Harvard Health Publishing.Tachycardia.
American Heart Association.Understand your risk for arrhythmia.
American Heart Association.Common tests for arrhythmia.
American Heart Association.Arrhythmia.
American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of arrhythmia.
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