Arrhythmia of the heart: causes and symptoms. Prevention and treatment of arrhythmias

Cardiac arrhythmia is a fairly common disease, the ignoring of which can lead to the worst consequences. The essence of the disease is that the work of the main human organ is disrupted, the rhythm of its contractions. A separate form is a sinus arrhythmia of the heart, which is considered normal and safe within certain limits. Treatment can be different. It depends on the form and stage of the disease. In any case, if you find the first signs of it, you should immediately contact the doctor.

Causes

A variety of factors can provoke arrhythmia. The most common diseases include diseases that are directly related to the work of the heart. These are diseases of the brain, circulatory and cardiovascular systems, disorders of the myocardium, problems of the thyroid gland and adrenal glands. Arrhythmia of the heart, the causes and symptoms of which may appear during infectious diseases or in the climatic period, requires immediate examination and treatment. The basis for the development of the disease may be a violation of a healthy lifestyle: lack of vitamins, excess weight, alcohol and smoking, stress and excessive stress, both emotional and physical.

Symptoms

The presence of such a disease immediately makes itself felt, so to identify it is not difficult. The arrhythmia of the heart, the causes and symptoms of which are indicative of problems of a different nature, may be accompanied by weakness and pain in the heart and chest. They sometimes give in the left hand. Patients may have the impression that the heart is not beating. Sometimes with the diagnosis of "cardiac arrhythmia", the patients' reviews state the appearance of dry mouth, coughing, dizziness, dyspnea, fever, fainting.

Types of disease

Depending on the nature of the arrhythmia are divided into several species, which differ in the symptoms and methods of treatment. If the frequency of cardiac contractions is sharply reduced, then we can talk about the development of bradycardia. Increased pulse indicates a tachycardia. If there are extraordinary shortening and gradually increasing their number, then these are the symptoms of extrasystole. With atrial fibrillation, cardiac contractions are uneven. Slowing and stopping impulse passage through the structure of the myocardium indicates the presence of heart block. This is a very dangerous condition, since the pulse may not be felt at all. Still distinguish sinus arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation and atrial flutter.

Extrasystolia

Extrasystoles are cardiac contractions that are prematurely produced. The source of their electrical impulse is not in the sine node. Any heart disease arrhythmia of this nature can accompany, but communication in most cases with it can not be established. Often among these ailments are vegetative and psychoemotional disorders, smoking, drug treatment. Extrasystoles patients are not felt, which can lead to heart sinking.

It is believed that gastric extrasystoles are the most unpleasant and dangerous. They can provoke the appearance of fibrillation of the ventricles.

Atrial fibrillation

Another name for this type is atrial fibrillation. It develops as a complication of violations of the normal rhythm of the heart. This is one of the most common disorders of the heart rate. Among the causes of the development of the disease is to identify problems with the thyroid gland. Symptoms of atrial fibrillation do not differ much from other types of disease. The patient is often disturbed by fainting, darkening in the eyes, a sense of fear, chest pain, lack of air.

The nature of arrhythmia can be different - from a short attack lasting a few minutes to a protracted state, which is measured in days. In the first case, it is not necessary to use medicines or other medical measures, but in the second without medical intervention is no longer enough.

Atrial flutter

The frequency of cardiac contractions with atrial flutter can reach 400 per minute. The problem very rarely arises by itself. Most often, the disorder is associated with other cardiac dysfunctions. The causes of atrial fluttering are organic heart diseases, preliminary coronary artery bypass grafting, or surgery. The clinical picture of pathology is marked by a sharp increase in the frequency of cardiac contractions, a violation of its rhythm, general weakness, low blood pressure. A patient on this background often loses consciousness and falls into fainting. Quite often there are cases when atrial flutter turns into fibrillation.

Supraventricular tachycardia

This pathology is known under another name - atrial tachycardia. The disease develops in a small area of the atria tissue. Over time, the whole heart becomes inflamed and the natural rhythm is disturbed. The presence of this disease implies a periodic acceleration of the heart rate, not caused by physical exertion, fever or stress. The symptomatology in each case can be different. In some patients, the disease may not manifest itself at all or may be manifested only by the increase in pulsation. In other cases, there is dizziness, fainting, sweating, pain or pressure in the chest, fatigue, frequent urination.

Ventricular tachycardia

The essence of the pathology is that it causes the acceleration of the heart rhythm, which comes from the ventricles. At a rhythm frequency of up to 200 beats per minute, the heart can not properly fill with blood. As a result, blood in the body is pushed out in smaller portions. This type of arrhythmia is especially severe in those patients who already suffer from other cardiac diseases.

Ventricular tachycardia is divided into persistent and unstable. In the first case, a decrease in the ripple frequency and a decrease in blood pressure are observed. Also, patients may suffer from excessive sweating, impaired consciousness. If symptoms of this type of arrhythmia are detected, qualified help is needed. After all, this threatens a spontaneous stop of blood circulation. Such an arrhythmia of the heart, whose causes and symptoms do not have a pronounced character, is detected only when monitoring the ECG.

Ventricular fibrillation

The disease implies a disorganized flow of impulses from the ventricles in a continuous manner, which causes a flutter of the ventricles. As a result, the pumping of blood through the body is complicated, which requires immediate resuscitation in the cardiopulmonary unit. The condition is very dangerous because if you do not help a person for 10 minutes, it can end in a lethal outcome. Blood supply of the body does not occur, while the heart is contracted with a frequency of 300 beats per minute. Symptoms of the pathology may resemble the picture of clinical death, namely, lack of breathing and pulse, dilated pupils, loss of consciousness, the appearance of seizures, blueness of the skin.

Symptoms of sinus arrhythmia

Such an arrhythmia of the heart, whose causes and symptoms are similar to the characteristics of an ordinary disorder, occurs because of an incorrect sinus rhythm. This type of disease is characterized by the irregularity and irregularity of the formation of a pulse in the nerve node. The disease can be detected without difficulty, since at the first stage there is a fainting or a pre-patchy condition , dizziness, sudden and prolonged fatigue. Symptoms appear with sudden and long pauses between contractions. The reason for such pauses lies in the blockade of sinus pulses and the impossibility of passing through the tissues. In some cases, sinus arrhythmia may be accompanied by darkening in the eyes, sudden fainting, sudden shortness of breath, rapid or too slow heartbeat, chest pains.

Symptoms of heart block

The reason for this variant of arrhythmia is the slowing down of the processes of impulses. Blockades are present in the intraventricular form, in the atrioventricular and sinoatrial. Degrees of blockades are from I to III. Their character can be persistent or transient. Blockades can be caused by the use of certain medications, myocarditis, cardiosclerosis, myocardial infarction. Very rarely, in practice, there is an innate variant of this pathology. Symptoms of blockade include the appearance of seizures and fainting. As a result of the development of the disease can cause heart failure, angina, or sudden death.

Treatment and prevention

If a person has an arrhythmia of the heart, treatment, medication or hospitalization is simply necessary, since the consequences can be the worst. Actions should be primarily aimed at reducing symptoms and fighting the root cause. When a patient has such a serious illness as cardiac arrhythmia, the symptoms, treatment and behavior of the patient must fully correspond to each other and work together. In order to overcome the illness as effectively as possible, it is necessary to give up harmful habits, avoid stress, eat rationally, lead a healthy lifestyle. Categorically, it is not recommended to overload yourself with physical work, because this is also a heavy burden on the heart.

Medication

If the patient is diagnosed with an "arrhythmia of the heart", it is probably the most common question to take him. First, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe the treatment, depending on the type of pathology and severity of the condition. As a rule, the first actions should be lifestyle changes, drug therapy or surgical procedures. With regard to drugs, in most cases prescribe antiarrhythmic drugs. In order not to face the severe consequences that cardiac arrhythmia can cause, treatment, drugs or surgery should be undertaken without slowing down. To avoid the occurrence of a stroke due to the formation of thrombi, you need to take anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs.

Other treatments

With the development of the disease "cardiac arrhythmia" treatment, drugs and drugs may be ineffective. In those cases when medications are unable to eliminate the problem, cardioversion is carried out. The essence of the procedure is that a temporarily acting anesthetic is introduced into the chest, and then an electric current is directed to this region. As a result, the work of the heart is synchronized, the adequate rhythm of the heart is restored . Some forms of the disease are treated with a cardioverter-defibrillator, which is implanted to observe and support the heart muscle.

To eliminate the root cause of arrhythmia, surgical intervention can be used. The operation is performed on a labyrinth, when the sections along the left and right atrium are cut. Sometimes after the operation, the patient is implanted with a pacemaker.

In case of suspected development of any kind of ailment "cardiac arrhythmia", prevention will help to avoid possible consequences and to perform treatment more effectively. Every single case of the disease requires a thorough examination, proper diagnosis and adequate treatment, so if you have a symptomatic symptomatology, you should immediately go to a doctor.