heart question????

Question

sometimes out of nowhere i get these strange feelings like my heart beats off rythym and shortness of breath and trouble breathing what is that?

Answer 1

Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal rhythm of the heart.

There are two forms of this abnormal heart rhythm:

- Intermittent (paroxysmal) atrial fibrillation, which is characterized by episodes that occur with varying frequency and last for a variable period of time before spontaneously stopping.
- Chronic or persistent atrial fibrillation, which is sustained and does not usually stop spontaneously.

In atrial fibrillation (also called AF or a-fib), the normal orderly activation in the atria is "short-circuited" and replaced by many rapidly firing and disorganized impulses. These rapid impulses result in chaotic contractions of the atrial muscle, described as "quivering" or "worm-like." Thus, instead of a forceful single contraction of the atria seen in normal sinus rhythm, the rapid contractions of atrial fibrillation are weak, resulting in the ejection of only a small amount of blood. The blood that remains in the atria becomes "sluggish" or static, which encourages the formation of blood clots

Atrial fibrillation increases in frequency with aging and typically occurs in people who have underlying heart disease. Almost any heart disease can increase the risk of this abnormal rhythm, but the most common causes are:

Hypertensive heart disease due to chronic high blood pressure.
A heart attack (myocardial infarction, or MI); episodes of atrial fibrillation associated with a heart attack are usually brief, although it may become persistent.
Heart failure of almost any cause.
Heart valve disease, such as mitral regurgitation or mitral stenosis; historically rheumatic fever was among the most common causes of valve disease, but this is now rare in developed countries. Up to 70 percent of patients who have rheumatic heart disease develop atrial fibrillation.
After heart surgery and, less often, after other types of surgery; atrial fibrillation in these settings is typically temporary.
A variety of chronic lung diseases, particularly emphysema.
Atrial fibrillation can also be induced by external events. These include:

Alcohol and binge drinking — Binge drinkers can develop atrial fibrillation that is usually transient. This often occurs over weekends or holidays when alcohol intake is excessive. It is called "holiday heart syndrome."
Hyperthyroidism — Atrial fibrillation occurs in about 13 percent of all patients with an overactive thyroid gland (called hyperthyroidism) and in 20 to 25 percent of older patients with this disorder. It has been estimated that hyperthyroidism accounts for 5 percent of cases of atrial fibrillation. Thus, blood testing for this disorder should be performed in all patients with AF since it is easily treatable. (See "Patient information: Hyperthyroidism").
Medications — Drugs that stimulate the heart can contribute to the development of atrial fibrillation. These include theophylline (used in the treatment of asthma or chronic lung disease), and caffeine.
Sleep Apnea - Atrial fibrillation can be caused by sleep apnea, a condition where patients stop breathing for prolonged periods of time while sleeping. Patients with atrial fibrillation who are overweight, or have a history snoring or excessive sleepiness during the daytime, should be evaluated with a sleep study. Treatment for sleep apnea can eliminate atrial fibrillation in some patients.
Some patients with atrial fibrillation have no apparent cause. When this occurs in patients under age 60 to 65, it is called lone atrial fibrillation. The cause is not well understood, but the risk of blood clots is much lower in these patients.

Patient awareness of atrial fibrillation is highly variable; some patients have no symptoms while others may have debilitating shortness of breath. Most patients who are well controlled on medical therapy have no or mild symptoms; more severe symptoms occur when the ventricular rate is not well controlled. Mild symptoms include:

Unpleasant palpitations or irregularity of the heart beat
Mild chest discomfort (sensation of tightness) or pain
A sense of the heart racing
Lightheadedness
Mild shortness of breath and fatigue that limit the ability to exercise
As the ventricles beat more rapidly or irregularly, symptoms may be more severe and include:

Difficulty breathing
Shortness of breath with exertion
Fainting, or near fainting, due to a reduction in blood flow to the brain
Confusion, due to a reduction in blood supply to the brain
Chest discomfort
Fatigue
Chest discomfort generally results from inadequate blood flow to meet the needs of the heart (called angina); this can be due to an increase in the heart's need for oxygen and/or a decrease in the heart's supply of blood and oxygen. In some cases, chest pain is due to the rapid heart rate itself or perhaps to stretching of the heart's chambers.

Answer 2

Honey,

What worries me is not your fast heart beats but your shortness of breath. Check your blood pressure , go to your regular doctor , make sure your heart is in good condition. I will surely try an old remedy called " Hawthorn berry" they come in form of pills and will slow down your heart beats and strenght your heart in a long run. It is a mild cardio.tonic.

Take care hun , and relax , a lot of our issues are more mental or subconsoncient issues and they affect our body functions.

Joe.

Answer 3

Excuse Me together as I smash my very own heart this night - Whiskeytown. type Hearted female Blues - Robert Johnson Pardon My heart - Neil youthful Heartbreaker - Led Zep broken heart Blues- John Lee Williams ( Sonny Boy a million )

Answer 4

your either getting premature ventricular complexes or some type of arrhythmia. Does your pulse race during these episodes? How often does this happen? Does something trigger this response? You'll need to see your doctor and most likely have a holter monitor placed on you. Of course he will do an ECG also.

Answer 5

They're called Premature Ventricular Contractions (or PVC's for short) It feels kind of like your heart is "skipping a beat" and it literally "take your breath away" We all get them occasionally. Caffeine is a big culprit of this. It's when you start getting them more frequently is when you should be concerned and then see a doc.

Answer 6

It would be best if you went to the ER or urgent care clinic. You need to be checked out. I wouldn't recommend playing around with this. It might just be anxiety, but you really need to rule out a heart condition. More and more women are suffering from heart attacks these days and don't even know it. Please just go see a doctor! don't let any of us online diagnose you either, ok? we don't know you, your vital signs, results of blood work or diagnostic tests, your physical or mental history, your family
history or anything else that is used to diagnose any condition. Anyone who knows anything about the medical field, should know better than to throw their opinion out there. my best advice is to go to the doctor and let him tell you what's up with you.

Answer 7

you should go to a Dr about that. You might be having a little tachycardia. You can have a little heart monitor put on you for 24 hrs and they can tell if your heart is out of rythm.Please go soon

Answer 8

that may be a indication of a heart condition, you should go to a cardiologist for a checkup, only after that you can have a acquire diagnosis and treatment, good luck

Answer 9

Read up on panic attacks, that will cause these symptoms. If they are severe or often, you might want to see the doctor.

Answer 10

Do you have asthma or allergies?
You need to see a doctor about this.