What is Tachycardia?
Tachycardia is a condition in which the heart beats faster than normal heart rate at rest. The normal heart rate of a healthy adult is normally between 60 to 100 times a minute when a person is at rest. But, when a person has tachycardia, the heart rate in upper, lower or both the chambers is increased.
The heart rate is controlled by sending electrical signals across heart tissues. Tachycardia takes place when an abnormality in the heart produces rapid electrical signals.
There may be no symptoms or complications seen in some cases of tachycardia. But, tachycardia can be a cause serious trouble to the functioning of the heart, can increase the risk of stroke or cause sudden cardiac arrest or death.
What are the Symptoms of Tachycardia?
When your heart rate becomes fast, it may not be able to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body. This may deprive the organs and tissues of oxygen. This causes signs and symptoms related tachycardia which include:
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- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Lightheadedness
- Rapid pulse rate
- Heart palpitations
- Pain in chest
- Fainting
In some cases of tachycardia, there are no symptoms and the condition is only discovered during a physical examination or with a heart-monitoring test called electrocardiogram.
What is the Prognosis for Tachycardia?
When the long-term prognosis for tachycardia is good when it is caused by fever, blood loss, hypertension, medication or diet. Tachycardias related to heart or lung problems can be treated with medication or other procedures.
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