Cardiac arrhythmia is characterized by a disturbance in the heart rhythm. According to data from the Brazilian Society of Cardiac Arrhythmias (SOBRAC), the disease affects around 20 million people in Brazil, being the reason for more than 320 thousand sudden deaths per year in the country.
“The heart beats at a regular rhythm”, summarizes Dr. Fernando Barreto, cardiologist and medical director of São Cristóvão Saúde. The frequency of the heartbeat depends on the activity the individual is carrying out, whether they are at rest or exercising and is measured by the number of heart contractions per unit of time, usually per minute.
According to the expert, The normal heart rate, on average, is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). “Arrhythmia is characterized when the rhythm is not regular and/or the heart rate is above 100 or below 60 bpm, and may be benign or require appropriate investigation and treatment”, he explains.
Types of changes
Also according to SOBRAC, there are several types of heart rhythm changes, the most common being tachycardia, when the heart beats quickly, and bradycardia, when the beats are very slow. As a warning, it is important to know the symptoms, which range from a feeling of palpitation, to dizziness, malaise and fainting. The cardiologist emphasizes that, in some cases, palpitations may be the result of a moment of temporary stress, with the heart rate spontaneously returning to normal, with no treatment required. Therefore, perception is very individualized.
Treatment
“There are two types of treatment: medication, with tablets or medication in the vein, or through an arrhythmia ablation procedure, which is carried out in a hemodynamics service, after evaluation and recommendation from a cardiologist”, explains Dr. Fernando.
Furthermore, most of the time, arrhythmias are benign. However, in some cases, they can lead to consequences such as stroke or even death, in the case of the most serious arrhythmias – although these are exceptions.
Seek medical help if your heartbeat is faster, slower or irregular, even at rest. In this way, the specialist will be able to identify, through tests such as the electrocardiogram (or ECG), the existence of cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction or blockages in the cardiac conduction system.
