Cardiac arrhythmias can produce a range ofsymptomsfrom very mild, like lightheadedness, to life-threatening, including cardiac arrest.
These classic symptoms include:
While there could be another cause to blame, arrhythmia is likely.
Palpitations
Palpitationsare an unusual awareness of the heartbeat.
© Verywell, 2018
Palpitations affect different people in different ways.
Some people dont find them particularly bothersome, while others find them extremely distressing and frightening.
Resting or lying down tends to improve this symptom.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
It usually means that the arrhythmia is preventing the brain from receiving enough oxygen to maintain consciousness.
Any arrhythmia that has caused syncope should be considered potentially life-threatening and should betreatedaggressively.
Cardiac Arrest
Acardiac arrestoccurs when the heart stops beating.
While severe bradycardia may cause a cardiac arrest, most often this condition is produced byventricular fibrillationorventricular tachycardia.
Most of these people will be strong candidates for animplantable defibrillator.
An episode of severe lightheadedness or unexplained syncope should be evaluated immediately and warrants a call to 911.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
While many cardiac arrhythmias are fairly common and usually benign, others are dangerous and need to be treated.
Frequently Asked Questions
An arrhythmia may be barely noticeablelike a skipped heartbeat that happens only occasionally.
It may also feel like a fluttering in your chest.
In fact, sometimes you may not even know you have an arrhythmia.
They can occur in healthy people and may not always indicate a more serious condition.
American Heart Association.Symptoms, diagnosis and monitoring of arrhythmia.
2014;64(21):e1-e76.
2018;138(13).
doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000549
Wexler RK, Pleister A, Raman SV.Palpitations: evaluation in the primary care setting.AFP.
2017;96(12):784-789.
Kerber KA, Baloh RW.The evaluation of a patient with dizziness.Neurol Clin Pract.
2017;95(5):303-312.
2016;133(14):e506-e574.
doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000311
American Heart Association.Arrhythmia tools and resources.
