Heart Disease: Abnormal Heart Rhythm

• What causes an arrhythmia?
• What are the types of arrhythmias?
• What are the symptoms of arrhythmias?
• How are arrhythmias diagnosed?
• How are arrhythmias treated?
• What medications are used to treat arrhythmias?
• What lifestyle changes should be made?
• What is electrical cardioversion?
• What is a pacemaker?
• What is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)?
• What is catheter ablation?
• What is heart surgery?

An irregular heartbeat is an arrhythmia (also called dysrhythmia). Heart rates can also be irregular. A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmias and abnormal heart rates don't necessarily occur together. Arrhythmias can occur with a normal heart rate, or with heart rates that are slow (called bradyarrhythmias -- less than 60 beats per minute). arrhythmias can also occur with rapid heart rates (called tachyarrhythmias -- faster than 100 beats per minute). In the United States more than 850,000 people are hospitalized for an arrhythmia each year.

What causes an arrhythmia?

Arrhythmias may be caused by many different factors, including:

• Coronary artery disease
• Electrolyte imbalances in your blood (such as sodium or potassium).
• Changes in your heart muscle.
• Injury from a heart attack
• Healing process after heart surgery.

Irregular heart rhythms can also occur in "normal, healthy" hearts.

Arrhythmia (Irregular Heartbeat) - Symptoms Experienced

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From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

Electrolytes - Electrolytes in the body need to be maintained for bodily fluid function. Electrolytes are lost through bodily secretions such as sweat, diarrhea, vomiting. Source:MedicineNet Pacemaker - Learn about the pacemaker - an electronic device used to treat patients with abnormally slow or irregular heartbeats on MedicineNet.com Source:MedicineNet Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - Read about the Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG) procedure to test the electrical activity of the heart. Source:MedicineNet Read 42 more Arrhythmia (Irregular Heartbeat) related articles ... Study Offers Clues to Link Between Arrhythmia, Sudden Death Air Travel Taxes Hearts of People With Sleep Apnea Infection, Cardiac Woes Send Heart Failure Patients to the Hospital Weight-Loss Aids Bought on Internet Might Harm Your Heart New Drug Reverses Dentists' Anesthesia Managing Stress Can Lower Heart Death Risk Heart Procedure Reduces Need for Defibrillator Shocks Anniversary of Parent's Passing Can Trigger Death Heart Attack Seldom Leads to Healthier Diet Study Sheds Light on Origins of Sudden Cardiac Death