What Is Tachycardia?

Tachycardia, in simpler terms, is referred to as “fast heart rate.” It occurs when the heart beats more than 100 times per minute, which is triggered mostly by an interruption in the normal electrical signals that control the pumping of blood in the heart.

Tachycardia sets in when these signals get confused, act faster than normal or go in the wrong direction. According to research, the average adult heart beats about 60 to 100 times per minute. Thus, when your heart beats more than 100 times per minute, you may suffer from tachycardia.

Facts About Tachycardia

Although, the heart is expected to beat faster than normal when you engage in physical exercises or undergo stress. This tachycardia is not harmful as your heartbeat can return to normal.

In other words, tachycardia may not be too much of a concern if it is caused by physical activity. However, if you do not undergo any form of stress or physical activity and your heart pulsates more than 100 times per minute, you should check yourself at the hospital.

According to research, severe health conditions that trigger irregular heart rhythms can cause tachycardia. In addition, tachycardia can be life-threatening if left untreated.

When tachycardia gets complicated, it may expose you to the risk of severe health complications like cardia arrest, stroke, heart failure, and even death. This is why routine medical checkups are highly advised for everybody in every age range.

Types of Tachycardia

There are different types of tachycardia, and each depends on the part of the heart involved. The following are types of tachycardia:

Supraventricular or Atrial tachycardia

The part of the heart associated with this condition is the heart’s upper chamber. Supraventricular tachycardia occurs when the electric signal in the heart’s upper chamber is poor and causes the heart to beat extremely fast, such that the heart is not filled with enough blood to pump to the other parts of the body. When this occurs, there will be a severe blood shortage in other body parts.

Ventricular or Fibrillation Tachycardia

This type of tachycardia is associated with the lower chamber of the heart. It occurs when the electric signal in the heart’s lower chamber moves in the wrong direction. This causes the heart to beat faster than normal, and this kind of tachycardia can be more severe than the former.

This is because the heart barely gets enough blood and cannot even pump out the little blood it has accumulated. This translates into that other body parts will be getting very little or no blood at all to carry out their functions.

Sinus Tachycardia

This tachycardia occurs when electric signals from the heart are sent out faster or earlier than normal. When this occurs, the heart beats fast and does not function as it should.

Who Can Tachycardia Affect the Most?

• According to research, tachycardia has been discovered to occur more in women than in men. Thus, women are at a greater risk of developing this health condition than men.
• Studies have shown that children can also suffer from tachycardia, especially supraventricular tachycardia.
• Chain smokers also risk suffering from tachycardia later in their lives.
• People who ingest huge amounts of caffeine and even alcohol may experience tachycardia.

People suffering from severe underlying health conditions can also be exposed to the risks of suffering from tachycardia. Some of these health conditions include;

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Cardiomyopathy
• Heart attack
• Myocarditis
• Heart diseases
• Heart failure

The most common kind of tachycardia that affects people with these health conditions is ventricular tachycardia.

Other health conditions that may trigger an abnormally fast heartbeat include;

• Congenital heart defects; are heart conditions that you are born with
• Severe lung diseases
• Inflammatory heart conditions

Studies have shown that people with any of these underlying health conditions may experience tachycardia faster than those with risk factors triggered by lifestyle and habits such as smoking and drinking.

Causes of Tachycardia

Since tachycardia is characterized by a disruption of the electric signals in the heart, it is important to know what the cause of this disruption is. According to research, the following are factors that can trigger tachycardia;

Drug overdose: when doses of drugs higher than physicians prescribed are taken, it can initiate a reaction in the body that can cause the heart to beat faster than normal. This could be fatal if swift action is not taken.

Cocaine: cocaine addiction is a faster route to tachycardia. The reaction from these recreational drugs scatters the electrical impulses of the heart. It causes the heart to beat fast, supplying the other parts of the body with less blood than required.

Electrolyte imbalance: can also disrupt the electrical impulse of the heart. Many factors can trigger electrolyte imbalance, but untreated health conditions and infections are the most common.

Heart surgery: people with a previous history of heart surgery may experience tachycardia in their lifetime.

Excessive bleeding: when the body loses too much blood, the heart struggles to stay alive. As a result of this struggle, a lot of things happen in the heart. The blood pressure will rise, the heart beats faster, and the other parts of the body will suffer from severe blood shortage due to the heart’s inability to meet its blood needs. Coupled with these, the electric signals in the heart may begin to go in the wrong direction.

Psychology and emotional stress such as anxiety and depression can also trigger tachycardia.

Fatigue: as trivial as fatigue might sound, has grave effects on the heart. The heart’s rhythm, beats, and electrical impulses get affected when the body is over-stressed. Is this enough reason to take a break and give your body enough rest?

Shortage of blood in the coronary artery: can be triggered by severe heart and lung conditions.

Excessive caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco content in the body: consuming heavy doses of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine can lead you to the path of self-imposed tachycardia. People who engage in heavy smoking and drinking usually suffer from supraventricular or atrial tachycardia.

Chronic health disorders include heart attack, diabetes, lung disease, anemia, thyroid conditions, and heart defects.

Symptoms of Tachycardia

When you begin to feel these symptoms, you should visit a doctor. Do not treat this condition at home. It is way beyond what home remedies alone can resolve. Although, some of these symptoms are similar to symptoms of other health conditions.

This is why it is important to go for examinations at the hospital to know what the cause of your symptoms could be.

Below are the symptoms of tachycardia:

Symptoms of ventricular tachycardia include:

• Extreme pain in the chest
• Lightheadedness and fainting
• Dizziness
• Difficulty breathing

Symptoms of supraventricular tachycardia include:

• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain

Tachycardia Treatment

Many factors are usually placed into consideration before tachycardia patients. Some of these factors include;

• The cause of the tachycardia
• The medical history of the patient
• The patient’s age

After considering these factors, an effort is made to regulate the heart rate, eliminate recurrence and completely strike out chances of complications. Having done this, then treatment methods like the following can begin;

Vagal Maneuvers

This involves carrying out physical techniques that can help regulate the heartbeat, especially during an emergency. Some of these techniques include; wetting the patient’s fave with water, applying pressure on their abdomen, and making the

Cardioversions and Defibrillator

This involves the use of machines to cause an electric shock to the heart. This can help return the heart’s rhythm to normal.

Medications

In cases where the condition is not complicated, medications such as antiarrhythmics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and blood thinner drugs can be administered by a doctor.

Radiofrequency

This involves the passing of catheters through the blood vessels directly into the heart to eliminate a very small portion of the heart that is responsible for tachycardia.

Surgery

Surgery is recommended when other treatment methods do not work or when the tachycardia has become complicated.

Conclusion

Tachycardia can be fatal if not caused by physical activity engagement. It becomes complicated when left untreated. This is why it is best to avoid the possible causes, identify the symptoms and report to the hospital when you feel any of the symptoms.