What is Arrhythmia?
Arrhythmia is an irregularity in a persons heart beat. Over 2 million people in the UK have Arrhythmia and if properly diagnosed a person can live a relatively normal life.
Main types or Arrhythmia:
-Atrial fibrillation
most commen type of arrhythmia where the heart beats irregularly/ faster than normal
-Supraventricular tachycardia
periods of unusually fast heart rate while at rest
-Bradycardia
when the heart beats more slowly than usual
-Heart block
similar to bradycardia (heart beats more slowly than usual) but can cause people to collapse
-Ventricular fibrillation
a rare type of arrhythmia, leads to rapid and disorganised heart rate that can cause loss of consciousness and sudden death if not treated in time
Causes of Arrhythmia:
-excessive consumption of alcohol
-being overweight
-heart attacks
-heart failure
-strokes
-viral illnesses
-changes in posture
-diseased/damaged heart tissue
Preventing Arrhythmia:
Although preventing arrhythmia is not always possible, leading a generally healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of arrhythmia.
Symptoms:
-heart palpitations
-dizziness
-fainting
-shortness of breath
Treatment for Arrhythmia:
-Medicine - to control/stop/prevent arrhythmia
-Electrical cardioversion - a type of treatment that uses an electrical shock to bring the heart beat back into a normal rythm (whilst a person is anaesthetised/sedated)
-Catheter ablation - a surgery that destroys the disseased tissue in your heart causing the arrhythmia
-Pacemaker - a small device thats implanted in your chest that produces electrical signals to help your heart beat at a normal rate
-Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) - similar to a pacemaker but it monitors your heart beat and shocks your heart back into a normal rhythm when necessary.
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