Arrhythmia, a disorder that occurs in the heart rhythm.

Arrhythmia is a disorder that occurs in the heart rhythm. Arrhythmics can feel their heart rhythm too fast, too slow, or irregular.

Actually normal arrhythmias occur in a healthy heart condition. But if it occurs continuously or repeatedly, arrhythmias can indicate a problem with the heart organ.

There are several types of arrhythmias that are most often found, namely:

Atrial fibrillation, which is a condition when the heart beats faster and irregularly.

AV block, which is a condition when the heart beats slower.

Supraventricular tachycardia, a condition when the heart rate is too fast.

Extra systole ventricles, which are conditions when there are other pulses outside the beat

Ventricular fibrillation, which is a condition when the heart just vibrates.

Symptoms of Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia can occur without causing symptoms, so sometimes it is not realized by the sufferer. Symptoms of arrhythmia that can occur include:

The heart beats faster than normal (tachycardia)

The heart beats slower than normal (bradycardia)

Dizzy

Passed out

Get tired quickly

Hard to breathe

Chest pain

Keep in mind, someone who experiences the above symptoms may not necessarily have an arrhythmia. Therefore, an examination by a doctor is needed in order to find out what triggers these symptoms.

When to see a doctor

Perform routine health checks to the doctor, especially if you have hypertension, thyroid disorders, diabetes, heart disease, or have had heart surgery.

Immediately to the doctor if you often experience chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations, especially if the complaint appears suddenly.

If someone collapses after complaining of the above symptoms, immediately take it to the emergency room at the nearest hospital.

Causes of Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia occurs when electrical impulses that function to regulate heart rate do not work properly. These conditions can be caused by a number of conditions below:

Take a cold or allergy medicine

Sleep apnea

Hypertension

Diabetes

Electrolyte disturbances, such as excess or lack of potassium.

Thyroid disorders, for example hyperthyroidism

Heart valve abnormalities

Congenital heart disease

Coronary heart disease

Heart attack

In addition to medical conditions, arrhythmias can also be triggered by unhealthy lifestyles, such as:

Cannot manage stress well

Lack of sleep

Smoke

Excessive consumption of alcoholic or caffeinated beverages

Drug abuse

Arrhythmia Diagnosis

To determine whether the patient has an arrhythmia, the doctor will ask for symptoms and listen to the patient's heartbeat. After that, the doctor will do the following checks:

Electrocardiogram (ECG), to record the electrical activity of the heart while lying down. In order to record the electrical activity of the heart when the patient is active during the day, the doctor will install a portable ECG device called a holter monitoring on the patient.

Cardiac exercise test, to measure heart activity when the patient is doing physical exercise, for example pedaling a static bicycle or walking on a treadmill.

Echo of the heart, to see the structure and function of the heart. This procedure is carried out with the help of sound waves.

The doctor can also carry out other examinations, to see the possibility of an underlying disease of arrhythmia, namely:

Measurement of electrolyte levels

Measurement of blood sugar levels

Imaging

Cardiac catheterization

Biopsy

Treatment for Arrhythmia

The treatment for arrhythmias aims to treat irregular heart rhythms. The method used depends on the type of heart rhythm disorder, whether it is too fast or too slow.

Arrhythmia treatment methods include:

Drugs

Medications prescribed by doctors to treat arrhythmias are antiarrhythmic drugs. The doctor will also prescribe warfarin to reduce the risk of blood clots.

Ablation

Doctors perform cardiac ablation by installing one or more catheters in blood vessels that lead to the heart. Electrodes located at the end of the catheter will destroy a small portion of tissue in the heart that causes heart rhythm disorders, so the heart rhythm becomes normal again.

Pacemaker

The doctor will install a pacemaker under the skin, just below the collarbone. The pacemaker functions to restore heart rhythms that are too slow to be normal.

ICD

Implantable cardioverter-defribilator (ICD) is a small device that is placed in the chest. This tool is used in patients who are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. This implant will detect heart stops and automatically conduct electricity to overcome them.

Complications of Arrhythmia

In some cases, arrhythmias can worsen and cause serious complications, such as:

Dementia

Alzheimer's disease

Stroke

Heart failure

Sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden death in infants (SIDS)

Prevention of Arrhythmia

As explained above, many factors cause arrhythmias. Therefore, the prevention depends on the cause of the arrhythmia. In general, artistry can be prevented by maintaining heart health, namely by:

Quit smoking.

Eat healthy food.

Maintain ideal body weight.

Exercise regularly.

Limit consumption of alcoholic and ber drinks

Avoiding drug consumption without doctor's instructions.

Patients with heart disease need to do regular control to the doctor so that the condition of the disease does not worsen and cause arrhythmias. Patients also need to take medication regularly as directed by the doctor, and immediately see a doctor once symptoms worsen.

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