Heart palpitations

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Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heart chambers

Heart beat

Overview

Treatment

Heart palpitations

Definition:

Palpitations are heartbeat sensations that feel like pounding or racing. You may simply have an unpleasant awareness of your own heartbeat. You may feel skipped or stopped beats. The heart's rhythm may be normal or abnormal. Palpitations can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck.

Alternative Names:

Heartbeat sensations; Heartbeat - fast; Irregular heartbeat; Palpitations; Heart pounding or racing; Rapid heart rate; Racing heart; Tachycardia

Considerations:

Normally the heart beats between 60-100 times per minute. In people who exercise routinely or take medications that slow the heart, the rate may drop below 55 beats per minute.

If your heart rate is very fast (over 100 beats per minute), this is called tachycardia. An unusually slow heart rate is called bradycardia, and an occasional extra heart beat is known as extrasystole.

Palpitations are often not serious. However, it depends on whether or not the sensations represent an abnormal heart rhythm (called an arrhythmia). You are more likely to have an abnormal heart rhythm if you have:

Known heart disease at the time the palpitations begin
Significant risk factors for heart disease
An abnormal heart valve
An electrolyte abnormality -- for example, low potassium

Common Causes:

Heart palpitations can be caused by:

Exercise
Anxiety, stress, fear
Fever
Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, diet pills
Overactive thyroid
Anemia
Hyperventilation
Low levels of oxygen in your blood
Medications such as thyroid pills, asthma drugs, beta blockers for high blood pressure or heart disease, or anti-arrhythmics (medications to treat an irregular heart rhythm can sometimes cause a different irregular rhythm)
Mitral valve prolapse -- the valve that separates the left upper chamber (atrium) from the left lower chamber (ventricle) of the heart does not close properly
Heart disease

References:

Mayou R, Sprigings D, Birkhead J et al. Characteristics of patients presenting to a cardiac clinic with palpitation. QJM. 2003; 96(2):115-123.

Review Date: 10/15/2004
Reviewed By: Jacqueline A. Hart, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Boston, Ma.

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