Usually we do not pay attention, if the head is slightly dizzy and the heart is hammered more often. "The stuffiness, the weather, I was nervous, I was glad," - we think. In fact, there are manifestations of cardiac arrhythmia - violations of the heart rhythm. Behind them, in turn, may be hiding and more serious problems. Causes and types of cardiac arrhythmias are different. And to take this problem seriously.
The sinus node rhythmically generates electrical impulses that cause contractions of the heart muscle. The electrical activity of the sinus node should normally dominate the activity of all other cells in the heart. If under the influence of illness and other unfavorable factors the work of the "pacemaker" is violated, new sources of impulses appear in other parts of the myocardium, which begin to compete with or even suppress the sinus node. This causes a disturbance of the heart rhythm - an arrhythmia, a few dozen species. The most common types of cardiac arrhythmia are:
- flutter and atrial fibrillation;
- extrasystole;
- paroxysmal tachycardia - the heart does not always beat heartily, but attacks (paroxysms). If the ECG is not done during an attack, it will show a normal healthy rhythm;
- blockade of the heart.
If you feel fading or interruptions in the work of the heart, palpitations, uneven heartbeats, weakness, dizziness, fainting, you must visit a cardiologist.
What knocks down the rhythm?
The most important thing is to establish not only the fact of arrhythmia of the heart, but also its cause. After all, arrhythmia itself is not a disease, but a sign, manifestation of various diseases. Further, if an acute attack has passed, while the cause is not eliminated, it can progress and repeat. During the day, almost all healthy people can be traced to mild heart failure, which are safe, and most simply do not feel them. But in pathological situations the number of such failures grows, although the reason for this is not always obvious. Most often it is:
- heart diseases;
- cardiac ischemia;
- arterial hypertension;
- dystrophic and inflammatory diseases of the heart muscle (including alcohol abuse);
- Some non-cardiac conditions and diseases (infectious diseases, skull injuries, thyroid disease, salt balance disturbance).
Bloody fasting.
If the heart rate is disturbed, the blood does not reach the organs in full. The brain is most sensitive to "starvation": the result is dizziness and fainting. There are arrhythmias that can lead to myocardial infarction, attack of angina pectoris, pulmonary edema, the development of acute heart failure. Finally, some types of arrhythmia endanger life. But fortunately, they are rare.
We will weigh the risks.
Whether to treat arrhythmia? It would seem that the question is stupid - of course, to treat! However, any antiarrhythmic drugs have unpleasant side effects. Most often they can provoke a new cardiac arrhythmia, sometimes more serious. So it is better to resort to medicines in case of acute attacks. A good means of prevention and treatment are various breathing systems and neck massage. If the arrhythmia is chronic, prescribing medicines for a long time, experienced doctors are paused because of many side effects. The biggest mistake is to take the medication yourself or on the advice of a neighbor (even if it helped). After all, the same external arrhythmia in two different people (or the same person in different periods of life!) Requires a different treatment.
With the help of specialized receptors, the work of the heart controls the brain. Receptors communicate information to the brain about all the energy processes of the body. The brain regulates the strength and heart rate based on the information received. That is, gives the command "to the driver of rhythm" through chemicals-mediators in the nerves:
- acetylcholine in the parasympathetic nervous system slows the heart rate;
- Norepinephrine in the sympathetic nervous system is quickened by rhythm. During insomnia, an increased amount of norepinephrine is produced, which can also cause arrhythmia.
The most informative method of diagnosis is various types of electrocardiography:
1. conventional electrocardiogram (ECG);
2. for more complete diagnosis of arrhythmias informative longer (within days) record - ECG monitoring by the Holter method. You are clinging to the body of small sensors, and you are engaged in ordinary business all day. After that, the doctor examines the cardiogram for a day - this allows you to track changes in rhythm during the day, depending on your occupation, emotional state and so on. By the way, in a healthy person, the pulse frequency of the sinus node varies depending on the needs of the organism: from 45-60 times a minute at night in sleep to 130-160 at heavy loads.
As you can see, there are many causes and types of cardiac arrhythmia. In no case can self-diagnosis and self-medication. If you feel that there is such a problem with you or your loved ones, do not start the disease. Consult a doctor and follow his recommendations.