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An arrhythmia is no laughing matter. While many can be harmless they can also sometimes be a symptom of a greater problem and they can cause problems on their own. Of course, it is important to understand what they are in order to determine the level of concern you should have, and the corresponding course of action you should take. Fortunately, the heart, in all of its complex mechanics, is a very practical organ and that makes it easy to understand how it works. Because of this most arrhythmias, and problems associated with them, can often be treated in simple ways. As you probably already know the heart is necessary for circulating blood throughout the entire body. The blood, obviously, carries oxygen and nutrients to the other parts of the body, through the rhythmic pumping of this vital organ. On average, a healthy human heart beats at a steady rate of 60 to 100 times a minute. All of this, though, is controlled by the production of electrical signals within a group of cells in the upper right chamber of the heart. An arrhythmia, in its simplest definition, is a malfunction or disruption of this steady electrical signal. There are basically two kinds of arrhythmia: tachycardia and bradycardia. Tachycardia is the term used to describe an irregular heartbeat that is faster than normal. Of course, that leads to bradycardia describing an irregular heartbeat that is slower than normal. Again, in many cases these irregularities can be completely harmless. After all, the human body is constantly evolving, growing, changing, aging. Anomalies occur all the time as the body adapts to different atmospheres, allergens, pathogens, environments, activity levels, and more; so a completely random heart palpitation is not necessarily a sign of trouble. These two categories can be broken down into more specific classifications. Premature beats, for example, is the term for the most common type of arrhythmia. Most people experience this as a fluttering of the heart or a “skipped” heartbeat; these are generally harmless and require no treatment, particularly in healthy people. Atrial Fibrillation is the most common serious classification and is categorized by a very fast and irregular contraction of the atria. In this condition, the heart’s electrical signals start in a different place than normal and do not travel in a normal way through the system. Other classifications include Atrial Flutter, Paroxysmal Superventricular Tachycardia, Ventricular Arrhythmias, Ventricular Tachycardia, Ventricular Fibrillation, Bradyarrhythmias, and those categorized within the condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. It is important to remember that suspicious arrhythmia is worth investigating, especially if they are suspicious. Healthy adults can experience irregular heartbeats but single occurrence can be a symptom that the heart is not able to pump enough blood and that can lead to more problems with the brain and other organs. While this might sound very dangerous, the good news is that most of these conditions can be treated, alleviating the symptoms and, in the long run, correcting whatever anomaly or anomalies that may be causing the irregular heartbeat patterns.
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