Palpitations

As Palpitations Colloquially, an irregular sequence of heartbeats, e.g. in the form of double beats or skips, is called. Usually these are cardiac arrhythmias, so-called arrhythmias, which can indicate an illness, but are often also harmless. The exact diagnosis can only be made if the perceived heart stumbling can also be recorded in the ECG. The therapy depends on the cause of the arrhythmia - in the case of harmless cardiac stumbling, no treatment at all is usually necessary.

What is heart palpitations?

Heart stumbling usually conceals arrhythmias of the heart in the form of extra beats, the so-called extrasystoles.

Heart stumbling usually conceals arrhythmias of the heart in the form of extra beats, the so-called extrasystoles. Depending on the heart region in which they arise, these are divided into supraventricular (starting from the atrium) or ventricular extrasystoles (starting from the heart chamber).

The extra stasis are extra strokes that those affected perceive as stumbling the heart. If this shifts the natural heartbeat sequence, many people also feel a small dropout - the so-called compensatory pause, which bridges the time until the next normal heartbeat.

The extra blows occur to almost everyone, but are often not even noticed. They can be a sign of an underlying disease of the cardiovascular system or other organs, but heart stumbling often has no disease value.

causes

The causes of heart stumbling can be physical and psychological. Not infrequently, no trigger at all is found for a healthy heart to lose its rhythm. Physical reasons for the arrhythmia are, for example, diseases of the coronary arteries, myocarditis, congenital heart defects or high blood pressure.

A typical trigger for heart stumbling is the overactive or underactive thyroid. Disturbances in the electrolyte balance can also trigger extra blows. A lack of magnesium or potassium in particular can be responsible for extrasystoles. Heart stumbling is often caused by the lifestyle of the person affected. Here, stimulants such as coffee and alcohol, drug abuse, but also lack of sleep play a role.

In the psychological area, cardiac arrhythmias occur in stress and stressful situations. Here, acute events such as an argument, but also longer periods of stress such as a demanding job, can trigger heart stumbling.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for cardiac arrhythmias

Diseases with this symptom

• Coronary heart disease
• Heart attack
• Obesity
• Myocarditis

• Hypothyroidism
• Ventricular fibrillation
• Heart defect
• Potassium deficiency

• Hyperthyroidism
• Magnesium deficiency
• high blood pressure
• alcoholism

Diagnosis & course

Home remedies ↵ for palpitations An electrocardiogram (EKG) is written to diagnose heart stumbling. Patients who do not experience stumbling often need a long-term ECG over one or more days to record the arrhythmia.

Another option is the event recorder: if those affected feel the palpitations, they can record it by pressing the device on their chest.

There are also recorders that record abnormal ECGs and sometimes even forward them directly to an emergency call center. If you want to control the heart rhythm over a long period of time, the small recorder can also be planted under the skin.

Once the diagnosis of heart palpitations has been confirmed and the specific arrhythmia identified, further diagnostic steps are sometimes initiated to search for the cause. In the area of ​​the cardiovascular system, these are primarily the ultrasound of the heart and blood vessels, blood pressure measurements, the stress ECG, stress sonography, CT or MRI. With blood tests or the check of other organs such as the thyroid gland, but also by discussing the psychological situation of the person concerned, the reason for the palpitations can also be searched for.

Complications

Heart stumbling is used by many people for acute arrhythmias (cardiac arrhythmias). Depending on the cause of these symptoms, serious complications can arise. First and foremost, this includes vascular occlusions caused by blood clots that have been carried on. In medical terms, there is talk of an embolism.

The cerebral infarction (apoplexy), which is still popularly known today as a stroke, is one of the widespread complications of a cardiac arrhythmia, just like myocardial infarction (heart attack). If the stumbling of the heart is ignored, cardiac insufficiency (increasing cardiac insufficiency) cannot be ruled out as a further complication. This complication makes the heart unable to pump the required amount of blood around the body.

Shortness of breath and tiredness are clear indicators of this complication in patients who complain of palpitations. In the worst case, ventricular fibrillation occurs. If defibrillation is not carried out immediately, the ventricular fibrillation can lead to cardiac arrest and thus to sudden cardiac death.

The temporary and mostly harmless complications include dizziness and shortness of breath as well as short-term syncope (fainting spells). If the stumbling of the heart is due to the heartbeating too early in one of the two chambers of the heart or atrium, it is a less dangerous complication. However, these irregular palpations can affect the quality of life to a greater or lesser extent.

When should you go to the doctor?

As a rule, so-called extrasystoles are responsible for the perception of a heart palpitations. Those affected are therefore often concerned that cardiac arrhythmias or another serious illness could be the cause. If you have a one-off palpitations that do not cause any other side effects, medical advice is not absolutely necessary.

However, anyone who experiences heart palpitations over a longer period of time, minutes or even hours, should go to the doctor. In particular, medical advice is also required if there are other additional symptoms: headache, dizziness, impaired consciousness or shortness of breath.

The doctor (usually the cardiologist) will order an EKG and check your blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause frequent extrasystoles. A low-dose beta blocker or daily administration of potassium can be helpful as therapy. However, under no circumstances should the palpitations occur without consulting a doctor. Since extrasystoles often occur due to stress, a change in lifestyle or diet should be considered. The doctor will also advise those affected to exercise more and eat a wholesome, healthy diet.

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Treatment & Therapy

The treatment of heart palpitations depends on the cause and severity of the disorder. Harmless palpitations do not require treatment. If there is an underlying disease of the cardiovascular system, this must be treated. Here the spectrum ranges from inserting a stent in constricted blood vessels to setting unhealthy blood pressure to the use of medication to get the heart back on track.

Beta blockers have both antihypertensive and stabilizing effects, but in some cases special antiarrhythmics are also used. If the detected arrhythmia harbors the risk of sudden cardiac death from ventricular fibrillation, a small defibrillator is usually implanted in the patient. This is a device that detects life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and automatically terminates them with a power surge.

If the cause of the heart stumbling is a malfunction of the thyroid gland, it is stopped with medication. If the patient lacks electrolytes for a physiologically functioning metabolism, the empty stores are replenished by administering potassium or magnesium. It is important that the person concerned designs their diet and the amount they drink in such a way that there is no renewed deficiency. In the case of psychologically induced extra blows, sport, relaxation methods and possibly psychological support help to work. It is not uncommon for patients to get into a panic that is sometimes difficult to control, even with harmless cardiac arrhythmias. Behavioral therapy helps to learn to deal with stumbling blocks.

Outlook & forecast

The spontaneously occurring and usually only briefly lasting cardiac arrhythmia is accompanied by a positive prognosis because the heart rhythm usually stabilizes itself again. If the palpitations accumulate and occur several times a day, it can also be seen as a harbinger of a manifest cardiac arrhythmia. For example, atrial fibrillation can develop from this, which is not immediately life-threatening, but which in the long term leads to irreversible damage to the myocardium (heart muscle) if the atrial fibrillation is not treated.

If physiological reasons, such as a lack of potassium, are identified in the case of a frequent stumbling, the stumbling will heal itself as soon as the cause is eliminated.

If the palpitations are associated with other symptoms such as dizziness, impaired consciousness, high blood pressure, angina pectoris, or the like, it is advisable to investigate organic problems or external disorders that may be causing the extrasystoles. There is a risk that if external factors are ignored, the stumbling heart will develop into a persistent cardiac arrhythmia that requires treatment.

The prospects and prognoses for the frequently occurring extrasystoles are then correspondingly. If the perceived extrasystoles lead to permanent fears and an increased tone of the sympathetic nervous system (sympathetic tone), a kind of vegetative dystonia can develop. If the patient is left untreated, the prognosis for heart palpitations can be classified as rather unfavorable.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for cardiac arrhythmias

prevention

Palpitations can have numerous triggers, most of which can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle. This includes regular exercise, a healthy diet and sufficient amounts of water to drink as well as enough sleep. Sensible use of coffee and alcohol is just as important as avoiding drugs. Stress in the professional and private sphere should be reduced to a minimum. Important: Medicines for the heart, blood pressure or thyroid gland must be taken consistently so that they can properly develop their effect against heart palpitations.

You can do that yourself

If the symptom occurs frequently and leads to pain, an emergency doctor or a cardiologist must be consulted urgently. In any case, a healthy lifestyle helps against palpitations. This includes regular exercise and a healthy diet. Avoid fatty and sweet food in large quantities. The patient should also avoid and lose excess weight. Drug use can also cause palpitations. Therefore, alcohol and other drugs should be completely discontinued. Smoking is also harmful to the human heart; the patient should refrain from it in order to combat palpitations.

If the palpitations are triggered in stressful or panic situations, these should be avoided. While this is not always easy, it can be practiced relatively well through self-control. Valerian or nettles are recommended to calm the heart and the entire circulation. Both can be taken either in tablet form or as a tea.

If you experience pain or strong pressure in the chest when you stumble, you must urgently consult a doctor. In this case, it could be a heart attack that you cannot treat yourself.