Arrhythmias, discover how they can affect your health

Patients with arrhythmias worse tolerate exercise, and at increased risk of suffering a cerebral stroke.

Arrhythmia, consequences

The presence of atrial fibrillation reduces the quality of life of patients, has less tolerance for exercise / physical exertion, and especially in patients with risk factors increases the risk of suffering a cerebral stroke, which requires to be anticoagulated to prevent such complication.

Types of arrhythmia

There are many types of arrhythmias. The causes of these are varied. Usually they classified by anatomic location:

• Supraventricular arrhythmias. For example one of the most common such as atrial fibrillation (AF). It is associated with age, hypertension and young subjects with intense physical exercise and alcohol consumption.

• Ventricular arrhythmias. Often they associated with the presence of structural heart disease in patients who have suffered a stroke or have a large, dilated heart.

In the case of ventricular arrhythmias, the consequences are closely related to cardiac pathology, but are often associated with patients who require taking multiple medical treatments and in many cases, the implant of an automatic defibrillator is needed.

The arrtimias ventricular level, both tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation is often associated with severe underlying heart disease, and are often poorly tolerated by the patient, or even trigger sudden death

Arrhythmia, treatment

Treatment of arrhythmias depends greatly on the type we are trying. For example, an atrial fibrillation or flutter can be used antiarrhythmic drugs, for frequency control, electrical cardioversion, or ablation of pulmonary veins.

If it is a reentry tachycardia electrophysiology study and ablation are usually the first choice. In the case of ventricular arrhythmias it is important to treat the underlying cause by using antiarrhythmics, or even implant a defibrillator to prevent sudden death risk drugs.

In addition, in the case of atrial fibrillation and flutter, the cardiologist must assess the risk of stroke and decide the need for anticoagulation patient, or simply antiplatelets.