Arrhythmia
A condition where the heart beats irregularly or abnormally
What part of the body does Arrhythmia affect, How does the body system work on a regular basis?
This condition affects the heart. It affects the way the blood is pumped through the body, the heart beats irregularly so the blood is not pumped effectively. The heart will beat to fast, to slow or regularly. When the heart beats irregularly it may not pump the appropriate amount of blood through the body, but to keep the organs and limbs stay alive with its daily amount of blood the heart will have to work harder and may not be as effectively as it tries.
This body system (The heart) works to pump blood through your body. The heart fills with blood and then when the heart beats the blood is pumped through your veins. As the blood is being pumped out o f the heart the blood in the veins are forced through the veins to feed the other organs and limbs with oxygen. The oxygen is traveled in the blood. When the blood enters the heart it is mixed with oxygen then pumped out. If you have Arrhythmia the heart will beat less effectively, meaning either not enough blood will be pumped, too much blood will be pumped or at times will pump the correct amount.
How does Arrhythmia arise, How does a doctor determine that an individual has Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia starts when the sinus node does not communicate with the heart to tell it to pump blood around the body. The sinus node is a group of cells in our body to communicate with the heart. The sinus node is the body's pacemaker, it is located in the right atrium. It is used to tell the heart when to beat faster or slower. When the heart slows its beat it is because the pacemaker (the sinus node) tells it to slow its beat. When you are exercising or stress it tells the the heart to beat faster but when you sleep its command is to slow the beats.
A heart exam or a physical check up is the only way to discover this condition. Arrhythmia is really unpredictable. It is a condition that you are not born with but develop. You can ether develop it later in your life or. You might need to live with it.
Target population, Signs and Symptoms
This condition does not have a specific target. It can affect anyone anytime no matter who they are. It is almost like a disease, the condition will affect you when you're born or it could show up when you are eighty so it really doesn't matter who you are what ethnicity you are or how old you are. It is really unpredictable.
Some of the main symptoms would be:
fatigue
dizziness
chest pain.
Other symptoms may be:
lightheadedness
weakness
palpitations
shortness of breath.
Arrhythmia can cause the heart to beat less effectively. When the heart is beating effectively it will limit the amount of blood pumped throw your body. If the heart is beating to slow or regularly the right amount of blood will be delivered, if the heart is beating to fast not enough blood will be pumped through your body.
Treatment for Arrhythmia
Type of the condition determines the kind of treatment.
Treatment option:
Medications
Lifestyle changes
Invasive therapy
Electrical devices
Surgery
Some types/cases may not need treatment. Depending on who you are will depend on the medications, there are a variety of different drugs and doses so doctors can test and see which one will work for you. The drugs are:
anti-arrhythmic drugs – drugs used to convert the arrhythmia to sinus rhythm or to prevent an arrhythmia
heart-rate control drugs – drugs used to control the heart-rate
anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy – drugs, such as warfarin (a "blood-thinner") or aspirin, which reduce the risk of clots forming or strokes
If you have treatment medication is would be important to know
What it is for
The name of the medication
When and what time to take the meds
What is the life expectancy for someone with Arrhythmia, Why did you select Arhythmia?
Someone with this condition is a normal someone, Arrhythmia does not change your life it is just a change in heart rate. But, if you do the medications or treatments you need to may need to change your lifestyle so the mixture of the medication may be bad. If you want to take the treatments these are the lifestyle changes you may need to change:
If you are a smoker, STOP
Limit your intake in alcohol
Limit or stop intake of caffeine, because some people are sensitive to caffeine and would experience other symptoms. The liquids including :
Tea
Coffee
Colas
Some medication
Avoid ingestion of stimulants
I chose this condition because I am interested in heart disease and condition. This condition is one that I thought was a good one to do for this project, this heart condition has similar symptoms to other diseases so when I noticed that it was a condition I wanted to research it. My heart rate is high as well so that was another reason I chose this condition. I was interested in what happens to people with this disease/condition.