Cardiologist Questions Irregular Heartbeat

Causes of an irregular heartbeat?

I'm a 45-year-old woman and it seems like my heartbeats can be very irregular sometimes. What can usually cause an irregular heartbeat?

2 Answers

By far the most common cause of irregular heartbeats are premature beats either from the atrium or the ventricle. We call these APCs and VPCs. You do not feel the extra beat but you feel the next beat after the extra beat causes a pause. The heart fills with more blood and you feel a thump. There are other causes that are more serious including atrial fibrillation. If you’re having this frequently I would recommend you see your doctor and they can perform monitoring either with a Holter or an event monitor.
FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR DOCTOR OR A HEART SPECIALIST FOR THE EXACT DIAGNOSIS AND FURTHER TESTING.
Heart palpitations, fluttering or pounding in the heart, and hemodynamic disturbances are potentially life-threatening and can cause problems such as bradycardia and tachycardia - Dizziness - Syncope (fainting) - Unusual awareness of the heart - Anxiety - Abnormal ECG (provides a “ one-shot ” picture of the electrical activity of the heart) or Holter 24-hour monitoring results (Holter monitors look at the heart for a longer period of time and are necessary to detect intermittent rhythm problems). A 28 to 30 day "event monitor" is even more useful for identifying underlying problems. You may need to be evaluated for heavy metal toxicity, and a stress test or echocardiogram or tilt table test may be indicated, which may give useful diagnostic information. Follow up with the appropriate specialist and adequate testing is indicated.  A neurologic evaluation may also be indicated.

Heart rate variability is very common, but not always easily diagnosed. 


Possible Causes, Contributing or Associated Factors:
1) Coronary artery disease 2) Hypertension 3) Adverse drug reactions 4) Endocrine imbalances, especially thyroid or adrenal disorders 5) Myocardial tissue disease (valvular, atrial and ventricular abnormalities), 6) Sequela of rheumatic fever 7) Metabolic disorders 8) Nutritional deficiencies, especially magnesium 9) Caffeine 10) Environmental toxins or food allergies 11) Damaged conductive tissue (neurocardiogenic syncope), 12) heavy metal and other toxicities, 13) anxiety and stress disorders,  14) mercury amalgams, EMF sensitivity from cell phones, wifi TOXICITY and chronic exposure to other electronic  devices, spinal issues, etc. Follow up and diagnostic testing is recommended ***********