Many people suffer from cardiac arrhythmias. Symptoms and causes are very different. Many sufferers suffer from severe discomfort, while others hardly notice the arrhythmia or not at all. Read all about possible symptoms of cardiac arrhythmias here.
How do cardiac arrhythmias express themselves?
The symptoms of a cardiac arrhythmia depend on whether the heart beats too fast or too slowly and in which area of the heart the arrhythmia has developed.
Cardiac arrhythmia: symptoms, too slow heartbeat
If the heartbeat is too slow, too little blood will be in the brain every minute. Because the blood pressure at very slow heart rates is no longer stable, the sufferer is sick and dizzy. Sweats can occur. Other complaints include fatigue, poor performance, drowsiness or even fainting. The eye also reacts to the reduced blood supply. Sufferers often suffer from vision problems.
Cardiac arrhythmia: symptoms, too fast heartbeat
Heart pains and restlessness are the most common symptoms. Cardiac arrhythmias with a too rapid heartbeat are often associated with an irregular pulse. But there are also forms in which the pulse feels like a quick “hammer blow”. Frequently, sufferers also notice a “heart stumbling”.
Shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion or loss of consciousness may occur. Often the tachycardia is accompanied by anxiety and nervousness. In some cases, the patients excrete urine during or after an attack of tachycardia.
Both fast and slow cardiac arrhythmias can lead to chronic heart failure.
Arrhythmias occur in the atrium or the chamber
Arrhythmias that occur in the so-called atrium of the heart are unpleasant, but usually not immediately life-threatening. However, some arrhythmias originate from the so-called cardiac chambers (ventricular arrhythmia). Ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia are examples. They are life threatening.
Although patients with respiratory arrhythmias often suffer from respiratory distress, chest pain, dizziness and paleness, the symptoms can worsen within minutes. With ventricular fibrillation the circulatory system of the body collapses quickly. It is therefore the most dangerous of all cardiac arrhythmias. Symptoms include, dysphagia, fainting, pallor and respiratory arrest. Ventricular fibrillation must be resuscitated immediately.
In infants, cardiac arrhythmias often show tearfulness, restlessness, paleness and dehydration.
Cardiac arrhythmia: In which symptoms to the doctor?
Sometimes you feel a “heart stumbling” during sports or in stress situations, but sometimes also in peace. This is not unusual and does not need further investigation. If heart stumbling is common or if it is accompanied by sweating, difficulty breathing, dizziness or nausea, a doctor should be consulted. Also, if you feel an irregular pulse, you should contact a doctor.
Cause Cardiac arrhythmia symptoms In children, it is particularly important to act quickly and see a doctor.