Heart beating too fast?
Written in association with:
Cardiologist
Published: 21/02/2019
Edited by: Lisa Heffernan
Most of the causes of a fast heart rate are easy to treat and are rarely life-threatening, but diagnosis can sometimes be difficult. Dr Syed Ahsan talks about when we should seek medical attention for a racing heart, and when a fast heartbeat is merely down to activity, stress or anxiety.
A fast heart rate (over 100bpm in adults) is a normal response if your body is active or under stress. However, you should seek immediate medical help if you have symptoms such as dizziness, feeling faint, shortness of breath or chest pain, or if your heart rate hasn’t gone down after 20-30 minutes - this could indicate a heart rhythm disorder such as supraventricular tachycardia. Even without these symptoms, if your heart rate is fast despite being at rest, it’s important to see a doctor for advice.
More on supraventricular tachycardia
What are the most common causes of a racing heart?
Diagnosing the cause of a rapid heartbeat can be quite difficult. On the one hand, a hormonal imbalance such as an overactive thyroid can be diagnosed with blood and thyroid function tests. In contrast, there are many heart rhythm disorders which share similar symptoms with panic attacks, so close cardiac monitoring is needed to find out exactly when symptoms are occurring. If no irregularity is found in the clinic or hospital, the doctor may recommend monitoring for a few days or a week. Some patients have such intermittent symptoms that they need to wear an implantable loop recorder, a tiny device which can monitor your heart for up to three years.
Getting the right diagnosis is the key to effective treatment – that’s why specialist advice is so important. If at rest, your heart is racing for no apparent reason, visit your doctor and seek immediate medical attention if you experience breathlessness and/or chest pain. For more information on heart rhythm disorders visit Dr Syed Ahsan.
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