Our heart starts beating when we are in our mother's womb and continues till the day we die.The sound of our heartbeat is the sound of life.
However, we are usually unaware of our heartbeat. Whenever we become aware of our heartbeat, if creates an unpleasant sensation. In medical terminology, it is called ’Palpitations’.
The causes of are diverse and range from completely innocent ones like panic attack, anxiety, nightmares, pregnancy etc to potentially lethal abnormalities of cardiac rhythm called arrhythmias. At times, palpitations may be the first warning sign of an impending heart attack or stroke.
For the sake of brevity, I will focus on the cardiac arrhythmias rather than the benign reasons. Firstly, these arrhythmias may be caused by intrinsic cardiac diseases or extra cardiac diseases like thyroid gland disorders, electrolyte imbalances, drug side-effects etc. The age of onset, severity, frequency depends is variable and is usually determined by the cause of palpitations.
In my professional opinion, early diagnosis of the type of arrhythmia and it’s underlying cause is quintessential for the appropriate treatment of palpitation. Thus, a consultation with a cardiologist is highly recommended; especially if additional symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain and unconsciousness are experienced.
Theo diagnostic workup of palpitations usually consists of a careful examination followed by some simple tests like electrocardiogram (ECG) echocardiogram and relevant blood tests. Additional tests may be ordered depending on the results of the preliminary analysis.
It often helps to record the ECG when one is experiencing the palpitations. Very often, palpitations occur for a few seconds and stop spontaneously by the time the patient reaches the doctor's office. In this situation, we need to record ECG for extended periods (Holter Monitoring) ranging from 24 hrs upto 15 days depending on how frequently palpitations occur.
Once the diagnosis is established, then the treatment depends on the cause. For example if the cause of palpitations is thyroid hormone excess, you will be given medications to treat the condition. If you have a cardiac rhythm disorder, the treatment will consist of correcting the underlying disorder either by appropriate medications or interventions like radio frequency ablation
Last but not least, stress worsens all types of palpitations irrespective of the cause. Therefore, in case you are suffering from palpitations or have done so recently, let your doctor worry about your palpitations rather than doing it yourself.