From this article you will learn: why can there be rapid heart rate( or heart rate - abbreviated heart rate), is it dangerous. How to treat it, and whether it is always required.
The reasons for the rapid heartbeat
A pulse is counted from 90 beats per minute( in adults).The newborn heart rate should not exceed 150 beats per minute. In children up to 10-12 years of age - up to 120-130.In adolescents - up to 110 beats per minute.
The reasons for the rapid heartbeat may be different, and they are not always associated with heart disease. In some cases, a high heart rate may be a variation of the norms, and you do not need to do anything - but in most cases treatment is still required.
The rapid pulse itself is not an independent disease, but a symptom of other disorders in the body. They are treated by such doctors as cardiologist, arrhythmologist, cardiac surgeon, endocrinologist, nutritionist, sports doctor, neurologist, psychotherapist.
Primarily with a rapid pulse, consult a therapist.
Determining the heart rate Why is my heart beat fast?
Causes of high heart rate:
- normal physiological processes;
- the wrong way of life;
- congenital and acquired heart and vascular malformations;
- endocrine diseases.
During the day, the pulse may vary significantly. And if you notice that the heart beats a little faster than usual, do not immediately worry.
When the rapid pulse is normal?
In norm or rate the palpitation is quickened for such reasons:
- physical loading;
- waking after sleep;
- change of body position( when you suddenly stand up);
- strong emotions( both negative and positive);
- food intake( if you have eaten well, the pulse may become frequent).
Usually such a frequent heartbeat is not even felt. Or you can notice it, but it will not be accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms( discomfort, chest pain, a feeling of "jumping out" of the heart from the chest, severe shortness of breath, etc.)
In that case, you do not need to do anything. This condition is not dangerous if you do not have heart disease.
The heart beats more often in childhood and adolescence. If you notice that your child has a pulse more often than you do, that's normal. If the child himself does not bother, you can be calm.
There is also a so-called idiopathic tachycardia. A condition where a high heart rate is associated with the individual characteristics of the body. Usually, in this case, the heart rate deviates from the norm by 10-15 beats per minute. In this case, there is no reason that provokes a rapid pulse, and no health problems. In this case, too, you do not need to do anything, no treatment is needed.
High heart rate due to abnormal lifestyle
Tachycardia can be triggered:
- by smoking;
- wrong nutrition( a lot of fatty, fried, spicy, fast food, lack of fish products);
- emotional or physical overstrain( stress at work or school, excessive sports loads);
- lack of sleep;
- consuming a lot of coffee or energy.
In this case, consult a cardiologist and go to the examination to determine if you have any diseases of the heart or other organs. If the doctors did not reveal any pathologies, to normalize the heart rate, it is necessary to eliminate the causes that caused its increase.
To adjust the diet, you need advice from a nutritionist. To compose a further plan of physical activity, athletes will need a sports doctor. If you suffer from constant stress and sleep problems, consult a therapist.
If the wrong way of life provoked any diseases, you will need treatment of the underlying pathology that caused the tachycardia.
Rapid pulse caused by diseases
Tachycardia is a sign of many diseases of the cardiovascular system:
- chronic ischemia of the heart( it, in turn, is provoked by pathologies of coronary vessels, for example, atherosclerosis or thrombosis);
- heart defects( stenosis of mitral and other valves, open arterial duct, conduction disturbances of the myocardium, atrioventricular blockade);
- myocarditis( inflammatory process in the heart);
- suffered myocardial infarction;
- WPW syndrome( the presence of a bundle of Kent is an abnormal pathway between the atrium and the ventricle).
In this case the heart palpitations are paroxysmal. This is the so-called paroxysmal tachycardia. It is accompanied by other unpleasant manifestations. A life-threatening form of arrhythmia may occur-ventricular fibrillation.
Often the pulse may become more frequent due to disorders of the nervous system:
- of neurocirculatory dystonia,
- of vegetovascular dystonia.
These diseases are difficult to diagnose, as they are accompanied by a variety of symptoms similar to other diseases.
Also high heart rate may be a symptom of endocrine system diseases:
- hyperthyroidism;
- very rarely - hypothyroidism.
In this case, the pulse is frequent all the time, not in the form of attacks. Among the complications - flutter or atrial fibrillation.
Symptoms that accompany the heart palpitations of
Other manifestations depend on which disease the rapid pulse provoked. To understand what kind of doctor to turn to and what to do, read the manifestations of diseases, one of the symptoms of which is tachycardia.
Paroxysmal tachycardia with heart defects
It has clear time boundaries, that is, you can accurately remember when the attack began and when it ended. It can occur both spontaneously at rest and due to provoking factors( stress, exercise, intake of substances that affect the cardiovascular system).
An attack of rapid heartbeat( up to 220 beats per minute) is accompanied by:
- dizziness;
- sometimes - syncope;
- by noise in the ears;
- feeling of tightening in the chest and "jumping out" of the heart from the chest;
- sometimes - nausea and sweating.
During paroxysm, flutter or fibrillation of the ventricles may develop. A prolonged attack can cause cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest.
If at least once you have noticed a paroxysm of tachycardia, consult an arrhythmologist who will prescribe an additional examination, and then - treatment( will depend on the specific cause, in most cases it is operative).
Tachycardia in disorders of nervous regulation
An increase in heart rate is observed with VSD and NDC( neurocirculatory dystonia).
Tachycardia with VSD persistent( up to 140 beats per minute), the heart reacts poorly to physical activity. Sometimes it is so bad that the patient can not perform daily activities( walk for a long time, climb stairs, etc.)
With NCD, the increased heart rate can be either constant or paroxysmal.
Manifestations of the AVI, except for tachycardia:
- frequent dizziness and tinnitus;
- weakness and fatigue;
- sweating;
- intolerance of stuffiness;
- anxiety and suspiciousness;
- drowsiness;
- sharp mood changes;
- temperature changes;
- possible panic attacks and obsessions.
With pronounced psychological symptoms, the disease can be difficult to distinguish from neuroses or psychoses.
Manifestations of neurocirculatory dystonia:
- chilliness of feet and hands;
- cold hands and feet, pale skin;
- fatigue, weakness;
- headaches and dizziness;
- low or high blood pressure.
The treatment of these diseases is symptomatic. Conducted by his neurologist and cardiologist.
Symptoms of neurocirculatory dystonia Rapid heart rate with endocrine disorders
Tachycardia is always accompanied by hyperthyroidism - excessive production of hormones by the thyroid gland. With this pathology, the heart rate is constantly increasing, heart rate reaches 120 beats per minute, even at rest. Pulse does not slow down even during sleep.
The disease can be identified by such symptoms:
- enlarged thyroid;
- large difference between upper and lower pressure;
- abdominal pain;
- increased appetite, despite this - weight loss;
- sweating;
- irritability, fatigue;
- violation of the menstrual cycle in girls, an increase in the mammary glands and a decrease in the potency of the boys;
- enlargement of the liver( reversible);
- elevated blood sugar.
If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, consult an endocrinologist.
Very rarely, persistent tachycardia can be a sign of hypothyroidism, but usually with this disease, heartbeat, on the contrary, slows down
Click on the picture to enlarge Diagnosis
To determine the cause of tachycardia, doctors examine the heart, internal organs, blood, thyroid, nervous system.
If you have an elevated heart rate that is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, consult a doctor( first of all, a cardiologist, then he can refer you to other specialists).
To determine the cause of increased heart rate, you need to do:
- ECG;Holder examination of
- ;
- Echo CG( ultrasound of the heart);
- of thyroid ultrasound;
- liver ultrasound;
- blood test is total, for cholesterol and for glucose, for infection;
- urine test.
After examining the results of all tests, the doctor will prescribe the treatment, depending on the detected disease. With endocrine or nervous diseases, you will have to take medications, and with heart defects, most often an operation is performed.
After getting rid of the underlying disease, the heartbeat comes back to normal.
How to treat tachycardia with different diseases
Rapid heart rate can be cured completely, getting rid of its cause.
Elimination of heart diseases
The causes and treatment of heart palpitations are strongly related: depending on the disease, increased heart rate is treated by different methods( conservatively or operatively).
Pharmacotherapy
| disease | Drugs for treatment |
|---|---|
| cardiac ischemia provoked by atherosclerosis or thrombosis | statins, antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, nitrates, beta-blockers |
| Myocarditis | immunomodulators, antiviral, antifungal or antibacterial agents, depending on |
| pathogen Postinfarction period | Supportingpreparations( glycosides, B group vitamins, magnesium, potassium) |
Heart defects most often require surgical interventionsabout, as medicines do not eliminate the cause of the disease.
Surgical treatment of heart defects
| disease | Operation |
|---|---|
| mitral stenosis | Mitral commissurotomy |
| ductus arteriosus | Installation occluder |
| Syndrome WPW | Radiofrequency ablation |
| atrioventricular block, conduction disturbances infarction | Installing pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator |
| atherosclerosis or coronary artery thrombosis | coronary artery bypass |
Whatwith paroxysm( paroxysmal tachycardia)?
If an attack of tachycardia occurs for you for the first time, immediately call an ambulance.
After the paroxysm has been removed, the doctor will inform you about how to proceed in the event of a recurrence.
Once you feel the onset of an attack, perform vagal tests, in which you stimulate the vagus nerve:
- push the closed eyes;
- perform a carotid sinus massage( under the lower jaw);
- push the root of the tongue;
- hold your breath and wash with cold water;
Before using vagal techniques, consult your doctor to find out the correct technique for performing them.
The doctor also prescribes antiarrhythmic drugs to relieve an attack of tachycardia. Often this is Verapamil. However, it is contraindicated to take with WPW syndrome and some other diseases. With WPW syndrome, ATP is administered intravenously.
Use antiarrhythmic drugs only as directed by your doctor. Wrong application of them is dangerous for life.
Treatment of AVI and NDCs
Therapy of these diseases is symptomatic. Doctors prescribe drugs to remove the manifestations that most concern the patient.
If tachycardia is severe, prescribe beta-blockers( eg, Anaprilin).
If frequent heartbeats occur due to increased anxiety, anxiolytics( phenazepam, Valium, Seduxen) or antidepressants with an anti-anxiety effect( Paxil, Amitriptyline) are prescribed.
Also procedures are applied:
- massage,
- conifer baths,
- electrophoresis.
Apparatus for electrophoresis Hyperthyroidism therapy
In hyperthyroidism, doctors recommend thyreostatic medications that reduce the production of thyroid hormones( eg, Mercazolil).
For symptomatic treatment of tachycardia prescribe beta-blockers( Obsidan).
Also, to eliminate hyperthyroidism, and with it tachycardia, adhere to the diet:
- Eat more dairy and sour-milk products, vegetables, fruits;
- discard tea, coffee, cocoa, spices and chocolate.
Folk remedies for heart palpitations
They are good if the cause of tachycardia is VSD.
| Hawthorn | Take 15 g of berries, pour a glass of boiling water, insist for 2 hours, drink 3 times a day before eating 1-2 tablespoons. |
|---|---|
| Herbal Collection | Take 40 g of ground valerian root, 40 g of hawthorn, 20 g of lily of the valley, 30 g of mint, 30 g of fennel. Pour a liter of boiling water. Take a glass a day, dividing it into 3 doses. |
| Sandy immortelle | Take 15 g of medicinal plants, pour a glass of boiling water, insist for an hour. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day. |
Before drinking decoctions, go through the diagnosis, since many heartbrows are contraindicated for heart defects.
Overall, the predictions for tachycardia are favorable. From rapid heartbeats you can completely get rid of, adhering to recommendations for the treatment of the underlying disease.
