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ARRHYTHMIAS EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEM IN A NUTSHELL “My heart beats fast and irregular or skips a beat or two, I can feel it in my stomach, in my jaw and in my head and sometimes I get dizzy for no reason at all” – the typical description from many affected patients. WORDS DR. MANUELA REISBECK PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CARDIOCARE MARBELLA
irregular heartbeat. Some patients Arrhythmias are simple errors in the are not aware of it, others feel immediately unwell, tired, short of electrical impulse and conduction breath with exertion or simply dizzy. within the cardiac electric circuit. Atrial fibrillation is an important There are many different types of arrhythmias causing palpitations – diagnosis because it can cause heart weakness and strokes if left mostly signifying that the patient untreated. can feel their heart beating which Other important arrhythmias are usually is not the case. Although slow heartbeats, so called heart most of them are harmless, blocks, causing long pauses caused by stress, age and other between heart beats. These are medications taken for completely dangerous because the blood different conditions, on some supply to the body, especially to occasions arrhythmias can be of great importance and danger. the brain is reduced. Symptoms This is why cardiologists always here include dizziness, fatigue advocate a thorough investigation and quite often the sudden loss of once a patient complains of consciousness, which may only anything suggesting a heart last for seconds, but nevertheless arrhythmia. is a very worrisome event. Most The most common condition is patients attribute these spells that of atrial fibrillation, especially to stress and dehydration, and with age, causing a fast and the significance often remains
ECG PICTURE
134 / JANUARY 2022 ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE
underestimated until severe accidents happen or even the worst-case scenario, the sudden cardiac death. Consulting a cardiologist is the most important step to take: the investigations performed like ECG's, Holter-ECG's and heart ultrasound examinations will determine the fundamental problem and determine the severity of the situation. At times, there are underlying reasons causing the arrhythmias, like coronary artery disease or a dilated weak heart.
