Heart Disease Community

Hi:


Medical rule-of-thumb, report ANY bothersome, concerning, troublesome, worrisome, worsening, or new symptom(s) to your doctor promptly.



"He saw a cardiologist and he said that lots of time there are no explanations for palpitations and they are normal."

......"and it showed that his one palpitation was within the normal T waves??"


The T wave occurs in the heart's electrical conduction cycle when the heart is getting ready to pump blood again, so a palpitation or a premature venticular beat there makes sense.

As applicable to the patient, the most common type of palpitations, premature ventricular contractions (PVCs, occurs even in many heart-healthy individuals), is described that the heart is flip-flopping, fluttering, jumping, pausing or stopping briefly (though it's actually not doing that), pounding, skipping, thumping, or strong, hard, or forceful beats being felt in the chest, neck, throat, and has various causes (cardiac and non-cardiac) or triggers, includes stress, even at the subconscious level (affecting the subconscious mind).

As applicable, some individuals have reported, palpitations (PACs, PVCs), being triggered off by GERD/acid reflux/heartburn, swallowing (food or drink), gas, bloating, belching, burping, or coughing, or after a heavy meal/on a full stomach

These are known as indirect causes or an "reactive-arrhythmia". This may/can also be a side effect of some foods (which includes additives and preservatives), drinks, or drugs. On the flip side, in some cases, belching, burping, or coughing may/can terminate/relieve an irregular heartbeat/arrhythmia.

PVCs are typically harmless (benign), be it isolated (single), couplets (2-in-row), triplets (3-in-a-row) or salvos (short bursts of 3 or more in-a-row), bigeminy (occurring every other beat), trigeminy (occurring every third beat), quadrigeminy (occurring every fourth beat), etc., etc.

However, the main problem or concern (even more so, much more emphasized for those with certain major or serious heart conditions) with PVCs is when sustained ventricular tachycardia (runs of PVCs over 30 seconds) occurs.

Symptoms that may/can occur wih PVCs includes none at all or chest pain/discomfort/pressure/tightness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness/dizziness, and in uncommon to rare cases, near-syncope or syncope (temporary loss of consciousness, includes fainting and passing out).

Best of luck to you and your husband down the road of life.

Take care,

CardioStar*

WebMD member (8/99)


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Be well-informed

As applicable

MedicineNet

Palpitations

http://www.medicinenet.com/Palpitations/article.htm

eHealthMD

Palpitations

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/palpitations/PAL_whatis.html
Learn about the heart's delicate and precise electrical conduction system

Animated Tutorial

http://www.your-doctor.com/healthinfocenter/medical-conditions/cardiovascular/conductiontutorial.html

Heart Rhythm Society

Patient and Public Information Center

http://www.hrspatients.org/patients

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Heart Disease TYPES

Men and Women

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-disease-men

SYMPTOMS

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-symptoms

Mayo Clinic

Heart Disease

Heart disease is a broad term used to describe a range of diseases that affect your heart and sometimes your blood vessels....
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http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/DS01120

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Learn About the


WebMD

The Heart: (Human Anatomy) Pictures, Definition, Location in the Body and Heart Problems

http://www.webmd.com/heart/picture-of-the-heart

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Quote!

Be a questioning patient. TALK to your DOCTOR and ASK QUESTIONS. Studies show that patients who ask the most questions, and are most assertive, get the best results. Be vigilant and speak up!"

- Charles Inlander, People's Medical Society

. .

WebMD/WebMD forums DOES NOT provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatments.

NEVER delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on WebMD.

IF YOU have a medical emergency CALL 911.

Thank you for your response. After seeing the doctor yesterday he has determined that my palpitation is caused by Symbicort (which I take for asthma). Although I have taken it for over a year it is the trigger. I tend to be very sensitive to meds.

My husbands could very well be triggered by stress due to the fact his brother had a heart attack less than a year ago and had artificial aortic bypass a little over a month ago. He is trying to take control of his health now before he ends up like his dad and brother. But, sometimes he gets down thinking that it's inevitable that he will have heart problems from their history.

Again thanks for all of the wonderful information!!

You're welcome.

"He is trying to take control of his health now"

Kudos on that.

"But, sometimes he gets down thinking that it's inevitable that he will have heart problems from their history."

Not necessarily.

Important to know, as reported, a risk factor merely increases the probability that one will develop cardiovascular disease, BUT doesn't 100% guarantee that one will develop it, nor does its absence (or even the absence of ALL known risk factors) 100% guarantee that one won't have a heart attack or brain attack/stroke.

Take good care,

CardioStar*

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Additional info

Heart-Healthy Foods

Nothing complicated, just plain and simple

AVOID foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. CHOOSE skim or low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt and reduced-fat cheeses. Eat more fish and poultry. LIMIT servings to five to seven ounces a day. TRIM visible fat. Limit egg yolks. SUBSTITUTE two egg whites for one whole egg or use an egg-substitute. Eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, breads and cereals. USE LESS salt and fat. SEASON WITH herbs and spices rather than with sauces, gravies and butter

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Good to know, for the primary and secondary prevention of heart attack and brain attack/stroke

Epidemiologic studies (EDS) have revealed risk factors (encompasses some new, novel or emerging) for atherosclerosis, typically affecting the carotid, coronary and peripheral arteries, which includes age, gender, genetics (gene deletion, malfunction or mutation) , diabetes (considered as being the highest risk factor), smoking (includes second and thirdhand), inactivity, obesity (a global epidemic, "globesity"), high blood pressure (hypertension), Low HDL (now questionable, according to recent studies) high LDL, small, dense LDL, RLP (remnant lipoprotein), high Lp(a), high ApoB, high Lp-PLA2, high triglycerides, HDL2b, high homocysteine (now questionable), and high C-reactive protein (CRP/hs-CRP).