National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Arrhythmia is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Has your heart ever skipped a beat? Sometimes it really does if you have an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia.
Many factors can affect your heart's rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, blood chemistry imbalances or abnormal hormone levels. Some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.
Symptoms of arrhythmias include
Your doctor can run tests to find out if you have an arrhythmia. Treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm may include medicines, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or a pacemaker.
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)