Other Symptoms of Heart Rhythm Disorders

Heart rhythm disorders cause many different symptoms, or no symptoms at all. Sometimes, a person may feel an irregular heartbeat. Lightheadedness, fainting, chest pain and/or shortness of breath are signs that an arrhythmia may be serious.

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Palpitations

You may have an arrhythmia without symptoms. The abnormal rhythm may be detected when you feel your pulse, or when your doctor listens to your heart or takes your blood pressure. It also may be diagnosed with a test called an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Palpitations are a common complaint that many people describe as a skipping, pounding, fluttering, flip-flopping, racing, or sudden stopping of the heartbeat. You may feel your heart speed up when you climb a flight of stairs or drink too much coffee. The rapid beating may last for seconds, minutes or even hours. A rapid heartbeat with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, lightheadedness or fainting (syncope) may be due to a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia called ventricular tachycardia.

People who have any unexplained episode of fainting should see their doctor.

Premature heartbeats occur when the heart's regular rhythm is interrupted by early or premature beats. It may feel as if the heart has skipped a beat. Usually it is not serious. If the beat arises from locations in the atria (upper chambers) it is called premature atrial beat. Premature ventricular beats arise from the ventricles (lower chambers). Sometimes they are called premature ventricular contractions, or PVCs.

Lightheadedness or loss of consciousness. Lightheadedness is a common symptom that has many causes, including temporary conditions that are not serious. It is often described as feeling "far-away" or off balance. Individuals may feel as if they will faint or "black out." If the heart rate is too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia) the blood supply to the brain may be reduced. If either arrhythmia lasts longer than six seconds, it can cause loss of consciousness, or fainting. The medical term for fainting is syncope.

See your doctor if you have unexplained episodes of chest pain.

Chest pain may be caused by rapid heart rhythms (tachycardias) that increase the oxygen needs of your heart. When the demand is too great, the heart cries out in pain. Pressure or aching in the chest and shortness of breath may accompany the fast heart rhythms. These are serious warning signs that should send you to a doctor. Chest pain also may be caused by coronary artery disease (CAD), a condition in which the blood supply to the heart is reduced because of clogged blood vessels. The medical term for this type of pain is called angina pectoris. Angina may be the warning sign of a heart attack (myocardial infarction). Chest pain due to cardiac causes may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, shortness of breath, abnormal heart rhythms or weakness.

Shortness of Breath, or dyspnea, may be a sign of heart failure or of a slow or rapid heart rate that impairs the heart's ability to fill, causing blood to back up into the lungs. The most common arrhythmia associated with shortness of breath is atrial fibrillation. It also may be a symptom of more serious ventricular arrhythmias.

Fatigue is a common complaint with many causes, most of which are unrelated to the heart. It is normal to feel tired following hard work or exercise, sustained stress, anxiety or grief. Most illnesses can cause fatigue. Some medications and other medical treatments also may be a cause. People may feel tired when the heart rate is very slow (bradycardia) or rapid (tachycardia).

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