An uneven heart rate might be slightly annoying, yet harmless. It might also be completely symptom-free, yet slightly dangerous. In other cases, an irregular heart rate could be fatal. Medically referred to as an arrhythmia or dysrhythmia, an uneven heartbeat can affect the body in a number of ways.
Identification
In a normal, healthy adult, the heart beats 60 to 100 beats per minute. Occasionally, though, the heart beats at an irregular rate. According to MayoClinic.com, "heart rhythm problems occur when the electrical impulses in your heart that coordinate your heartbeats don't function properly, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly." Several different types of uneven heart rates can affect different areas of the heart.
Causes
Any damage to the heart can lead to the eventual development of an arrhythmia. This damage might be caused by a heart attack, heart disease or heart deformity. High blood pressure, diabetes, stress and hyperthyroidism have also been known to trigger an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias might also occur as a side effect of excess alcohol or caffeine intake, smoking, certain medications, drug use or dietary supplements. Although rare, an electrical shock to the body can also trigger an uneven heart rate.
Symptoms
In some cases, an arrhythmia produces no obvious symptoms whatsoever. However, some people with an uneven heart rate do experience bothersome symptoms. These symptoms include a fluttering in the chest, racing heartbeat, slow heartbeat and chest pain. Other symptoms might include shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting or near-fainting.
Effects
In many cases, an uneven heart rate does not have harmful effects on the body. In fact, FamilyDoctor.org explains that "in most people, arrhythmias are minor and not dangerous." However, the arrhythmia may impact the heart's ability to effectively pump blood through the body. If left untreated, serious cases of arrhythmia might lead to organ damage, blood clots, stroke, heart attack and death. In fact, MayoClinic.com acknowledges that ventricular fibrillation is one of the most dangerous types of arrhythmias. This condition occurs when "the heart beats with rapid, erratic electrical impulses," preventing the heart from pumping blood to the body. The blood pressure drops quickly and the person collapses within seconds. If not treated immediately, the condition is often fatal.
Treatment
Harmless arrhythmias are often left untreated. However, the more serious cases require constant monitoring and treatment. According to the American Heart Association, an arrhythmia treatment plan focuses on five major goals: preventing the formation of blood clots, controlling the heart rate within a normal range, restoring a normal heart rate when possible, treating any disease or condition that is causing the arrhythmia and reducing lifestyle risk factors for heart disease. Medications and pacemakers are the most commonly used treatments for an uneven heart rate. However, more extensive treatments include electrically shocking the heart or using radiofrequency energy to kill the damaged heart muscle cells.
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