What Is Arrhythmia? by Jane Thurnell-Read

Arrhythmia is when the heart has an irregular or abnormal heart beat. Many different substances can cause this problem. It can be caused by emotional stress, anxiety and panic attacks.

Excess coffee consumption can cause the same problem, and this may be either an allergic reaction or a straight-forward physiological reaction to the amount of caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, that is consumed.

What Is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained heart rhythm disorder and increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, both leading causes of death in the United States. An estimated 2.2 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is the quivering of the top right chamber of the heart. It is characterized by a rapid and irregular beat that can cause serious complications, even death. If the heart rate is rapid and irregular, a healthcare provider should be seen quickly. The chance of suffering from atrial fibrillation increase as you get older - in the USA less than 1 percent of those younger than age 60 suffer with it, but approximately 1 in every 10 persons aged 80 years or older do. Studies in the USA have shown that men are more likely to suffer from atrial fibrillation than women, and whites have a higher prevalence than African Americans. Other factors associated with the development of atrial fibrillation include hypertension, congestive heart failure, previous myocardial infarction and diabetes.

Symptoms Of Atrial Fibrillation

The ideal adult pulse is steady with regular rates of 60-80 beats per minute.Signs and symptoms that suggest the presence of atrial fibrillation include:

• a sensation of missed or extra heartbeats
• an unexplained rapid heartbeat, or palpitation

You can identify an irregular heartbeat by monitoring your wrist pulse for 1 minute. The irregularity of the beats can usually be easily felt. If you experince this, seek medical care as soon as possible.