850,000 People Annually in U.S. Hospitalized for Arrhythmia

May 15, 2011 /NewsRelease/ - 850,000 people annually in the United States alone are hospitalized for arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. A normal heart beats 50 to 100 beats per minute. But arrhythmia feels as if your heart has skipped a beat or perhaps is fluttering. Sometimes you can physically feel it, but most of the times a doctor can only detect it.

Some symptoms: palpitations, pounding inside your chest

Last summer my grandmother was hospitalized after a few hours of feeling dizzy. We all thought it was because of the heat, since the elderly are so vunerable to it. Turns out she’s an irregular heartbeat.

Reasons for an irregular heartbeat include, scarred heart tissue from a heart attack, blocked arteries, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, substance abuse and stress.

Some symptoms: palpitations, pounding inside your chest, fainting, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, weakness or fatigue. If you experience any of these symptoms every day or often enough, speak to your physician.

A cardiologist will use tests like an electrocardiogram, stress test or an echocardiogram to identify arrhythmia.

An irregular heartbeat is treated with various antiarrhythmetic drugs, for example blood thinners or drugs that control heart rate.

Doctors suggest if you’re a smoker and have an irregular heartbeat to stop smoking, limit your consumption of alcohol and coffee, and stay away from stimulants.

Have you been to the cardiologist lately? Have you ever experienced these symptoms?

Short URL: http://nutritiondietnews.com/?p=3779