Causes of Fast Heart Beat – Diagnosing Palpitations
Q: Is it bad that my resting heart rate is between 101 and 106? I never noticed this problem before. I started to look into it because two days ago I went to donate blood. I passed all the tests except one. My pulse while sitting in the chair was 125. Of course, I was nervous but not incredibly in a panic state.
– By Ashley, age 19 years, female.
Reply:
Your heart rate appears to be fast. Increased rate of heart is medically termed as tachycardia.
Heart rate is controlled by electrical signals sent across heart tissues. Fast heart beat occurs when an abnormality in the heart produces rapid electrical signals.
Kinds of Tachycardias
They are of many kinds. The ones arising from the upper chambers of the heart are called atrial tachycardias and those arising from the lower heart chambers are called ventricular tachycardias.
Also, the rate of the heart may be irregular or regular. Irregular rhythms are more difficult to treat.
Causes of Increased Heart Rate
The cause can be mere nervousness. When you feel nervous, signals from the brain reach the heart causing it to beat faster. However, there can be other reasons too.
Causes relevant in your case are-
- Emotional stress
- Anxiety
- Intake of any stimulant, like drinking large amounts of alcoholic or caffeinated beverages
- Medical conditions such as thyroid disease, lung diseases or electrolyte imbalance.
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Anemia, iron deficiency
- Heart-related conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Rarely, it can be due to poor blood supply to the heart muscle as in coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis), heart valve disease, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), or infections.
Symptoms
Patients with rapid heartbeat may show no symptom at all or they may have any of the following complaints-
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Sudden weakness
- Palpitation in the chest
- Lightheadedness
- Fainting
Management
I would suggest you to get evaluated further.
You can visit a cardiologist for this. He may suggest you investigations like Holter monitor study (used for 24 hours) in which your heart will be monitored for a period of 24 hours continuously. This will identify the type of rhythm problem.
Other tests may be done to look at heart function:
- Coronary angiography
- ECG (electrocardiogram)
- Echocardiogram
A special test, called an electrophysiology study (EPS), is done to take a closer look at the heart’s electrical system.
Apart from this, you may be required to get screened for thyroid problems and anemia. This will be done by simple blood tests.
Treatment
Treatment will depend upon the type of tachycardia you have. There are many treatment modalities available –
- Anti-arrhythmic drugs are available.
- In some cases, an implantable pacemaker is put underneath the skin near your heart. This regulates the heart beats to assure that they are delivered at a normal rate.
Take Care,
Buddy M.D.
Pulpetation ,short breathe,havyness in head ,hand gets crunched,and sometimes I get faint.
Your age? Past history of any illness, weight?
Hi I recently had a chest infection – quite severe initially viral then bacterial the cough was bad and nothing eased it other than honey. Then one day I had more chocolate than I should I have considering the fact that I cannot tolerate it and it always causes headaches and palpitations.sincs that day going onto 2 months now I still feel palpitations on and off and have this weird sensation in chest/throat almost like I am holding my breath (without actually holding my breath). I have had a normal cxr but I am very concerned about what this could be.
I am 30 years old and do weigh more than I should but I have started exercising and eating less.
The symptoms however persist.
I monitor HR daily and can still get tachycardia (sometimes worse after eating) my main concern is heart disease although I’m unsure why symptoms of those would suddenly appear.
I’m not really breathless or sob but can feel like a dull discomfort in chest sometimes (maybe that’s more me overthinking) would appreciate any advice thanks
Start consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals. This would help you detoxify and ease your symptoms. You’re likely to be alright soon.